The DLGAP4 Knockout SK-HEP-1 Polyclonal Cells product provides a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from the SK-HEP-1 human hepatic adenocarcinoma cell line, featuring targeted disruption of the Discs Large-Associated Protein 4 (DLGAP4) gene. This polyclonal pool contains a heterogeneous mix of CRISPR-induced alleles, making it well-suited for investigations that benefit from population-level phenotypes, such as pooled functional screens, drug dose-response profiling, and studies of clonal heterogeneity. Standard molecular techniques, including Sanger sequencing, quantitative RT-PCR, and Western blotting, enable confirmation of target-gene disruption.
The parental SK-HEP-1 line is an adherent cell model originally derived from the ascites of a patient with liver adenocarcinoma. It displays a mixed endothelial and epithelial phenotype, which has made it a widely used system in tumor biology research, particularly for studying mechanisms of metastasis, cellular migration and invasion, and drug resistance. Because SK-HEP-1 cells lack a neuronal context, they provide a unique host background for investigating the function and interactions of synaptic proteins such as DLGAP4 outside the nervous system.
DLGAP4 encodes a core scaffolding protein of the postsynaptic density (PSD) at excitatory glutamatergic synapses. It directly binds PSD-95 and Shank proteins to form a PSD-95?CDLGAP4?CShank complex that anchors glutamate receptors and links them to the actin cytoskeleton. Activation is driven by CaMKII downstream of NMDA and AMPA receptor stimulation, and DLGAP4 further interacts with Homer1 and cortactin to regulate AMPA receptor trafficking. Thus, DLGAP4 loss impairs glutamatergic synapse organization and signal transduction.
In the SK-HEP-1 hepatic adenocarcinoma context, DLGAP4 knockout provides a clean experimental system. It serves as a negative control for neuronal synaptogenesis studies and allows ectopic expression analysis without endogenous protein interference. The mixed endothelial/epithelial phenotype of SK-HEP-1 also permits investigation of potential non-synaptic roles in cell adhesion, migration, or drug sensitivity, while the polyclonal nature enables studies of clonal heterogeneity.
Typical research applications for this DLGAP4 polyclonal knockout product include drug target screening for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and epilepsy; protein?Cprotein interaction studies using co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence; and negative control experiments in hepatic cancer studies. The cells are compatible with a range of downstream assays, including flow cytometry for surface marker profiling, transwell-based migration and invasion assays to assess metastatic potential, and drug sensitivity testing. They are also suitable for large-scale pooled CRISPR screens. For additional information or ordering, please contact Ascent Research.
