The CELSR1 Knockout Raji Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from the Raji B lymphoblast cell line, designed for loss-of-function studies of the CELSR1 gene. This polyclonal pool carries heterogeneous disruptions of the target locus, providing a representative knockout model without clonal selection. The product enables investigation of CELSR1 function in planar cell polarity and non-canonical Wnt signaling within a lymphoid context.
The Raji cell line originates from an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive Burkitt lymphoma patient and exhibits a B lymphocyte, lymphoblastoid phenotype. Widely employed in immunology and hematological cancer research, Raji cells grow in suspension and express characteristic B-cell surface markers. Their transformed status and active proliferation make them suitable for genetic manipulation and functional assays related to lymphocyte biology and oncogenic processes.
CELSR1 encodes an atypical cadherin that functions as a planar cell polarity receptor, transducing non-canonical Wnt signals to regulate cell adhesion, migration, and tissue morphogenesis. Activation by WNT5A or WNT11 in conjunction with Frizzled coreceptors leads to recruitment of Dishevelled (DVL) and formation of the CELSR1?CVANGL2?CFZD6 complex. Downstream, CELSR1 signaling triggers Rho GTPase cascades??activating RhoA and ROCK, as well as RAC1 and JNK??which phosphorylate transcription factors such as ATF2 and JUN. Interacting partners ANKRD6 and DAAM1 further modulate cytoskeletal dynamics. This pathway is essential for proper establishment of planar cell polarity and coordinated cell movements.
In Raji B lymphocytes, disruption of CELSR1 may alter cell adhesion and migratory behavior, providing a model to study metastatic dissemination of lymphoma cells. As CELSR1 is implicated in neural tube closure defects, spina bifida, and cancer metastasis, the knockout cells allow dissection of these processes in a hematopoietic background. Given that Raji cells are EBV-driven, they also enable exploration of how viral oncogenesis intersects with planar cell polarity pathways, potentially revealing novel vulnerabilities for therapeutic intervention in lymphomas.
These polyclonal knockout cells are suitable for a variety of applications including wound healing and transwell migration/invasion assays to assess cell motility, RhoA activation assays to measure GTPase activity, western blotting for phospho-JNK, immunofluorescence staining for cytoskeletal markers, and RT-qPCR for downstream target genes. They can be used in drug testing screens for non-canonical Wnt pathway inhibitors and in CRISPR knockout validation by Sanger or next-generation sequencing. For further details or to request a quote, please contact Ascent Research.
