The DSP Knockout Raji Polyclonal Cells consist of a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal population of Raji B lymphocytes carrying a targeted disruption of the DSP gene. This product delivers a heterogeneous knockout pool free from clonal bias, suitable for studying desmoplakin loss-of-function in a human hematopoietic background.
The Raji cell line originates from a human Burkitt??s lymphoma and serves as a classic B-lymphocyte model. These cells are characterized by rapid growth, surface expression of B-cell markers, and competent antigen presentation. They are extensively employed to explore B-cell receptor signaling, immunoglobulin secretion, and oncogenic mechanisms intrinsic to lymphomagenesis, offering a physiologically relevant system for immune cell research.
Desmoplakin (encoded by DSP) is a plakin family cytolinker essential for anchoring intermediate filaments to desmosomal junctions. It functions downstream of desmocollin and desmoglein in the desmosome assembly pathway, forming a bridge by binding plakoglobin and plakophilin at its N-terminus, while its C-terminal domain anchors keratin intermediate filaments, vimentin, and the actin cytoskeleton. This structural role is transcriptionally regulated by TP63 and Wnt signaling and is necessary for cell adhesion and mechanical resilience. Pathogenic DSP variants manifest in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and palmoplantar keratodermas, highlighting its tissue-integrity function.
Using Raji B lymphocytes for DSP knockout is particularly informative because hematopoietic cells do not form classical desmosomes. This context allows the dissection of non-canonical, desmosome-independent roles of desmoplakin, such as potential contributions to B-cell receptor-mediated adhesion, cytoskeletal reorganization, and intracellular signaling cascades. The polyclonal knockout strategy preserves natural genetic variability, enabling robust detection of subtle phenotypes and reducing clonal artifacts. This model thus serves as a powerful tool to study desmoplakin functions beyond its classical structural role.
The DSP Knockout Raji Polyclonal Cells enable a wide range of applications, including mechanistic studies of cell adhesion signaling, cytoskeletal cross-talk, and non-desmosomal desmoplakin activities in immune cells. Common downstream analyses include Western blotting and RT-qPCR to confirm DSP disruption, immunofluorescence for desmoplakin localization and keratin filament integrity, adhesion assays, flow cytometry for B-cell surface markers, and co-immunoprecipitation of interacting partners such as plakoglobin, plakophilin, and keratins. For more information, please contact Ascent Research.
