The DRGX Knockout HAP1 Polyclonal Cells consist of a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population with targeted disruption of the DRGX gene. This heterogeneous pool of HAP1 cells provides a loss-of-function model to study DRGX-dependent processes without single-cell cloning, allowing assessment of gene function in a population context.
HAP1 is a near-haploid human cell line derived from the KBM-7 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) line from a male patient. Its near-haploid karyotype simplifies genetic manipulation and minimizes heterozygous confounding effects, making it a robust system for knockout studies. Although of leukemic origin, HAP1 cells maintain functional transcriptional and signaling pathways, and are widely used for functional genomics and drug discovery.
DRGX is a paired-like homeobox transcription factor that acts downstream of proneural factors NEUROG2 and NEUROG1 to direct dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neuron differentiation. It transcriptionally regulates ion channels and receptors critical for nociception, including SCN10A (NaV1.8), TRPV1, NTRK1, and RET, as well as the transcription factor POU4F1 (BRN3A). DRGX interacts with cofactors PBX1, MEIS1, and SOX10, and is modulated by retinoic acid, BMP4, and Wnt signaling. Loss of DRGX function impairs sensory neuron specification and is linked to congenital insensitivity to pain.
In the HAP1 context, DRGX knockout provides an isogenic background for dissecting its molecular functions. While HAP1 cells are non-neuronal, they express core transcriptional machinery enabling study of transcription factor activity and interactions. The polyclonal knockout population is ideal for analyzing DRGX-dependent transcriptional changes, protein?Cprotein interactions, and pathway modulation, with the near-haploid genome ensuring unambiguous genotype?Cphenotype correlations.
Applications include western blotting for DRGX protein validation, RT-qPCR and RNA-seq for expression profiling, co-immunoprecipitation for interaction studies, reporter assays for transcriptional activity, and immunofluorescence for localization. The model supports high-throughput screens for modulators of DRGX pathways and generation of isogenic controls. For more information, contact Ascent Research.
