The EFEMP1 Knockout Huh-7 Polyclonal Cells product is a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from Huh-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. This gene-disruption model enables functional investigation of EFEMP1 (fibulin-3) loss in a liver epithelial background. As a polyclonal pool, it captures a spectrum of editing events, avoiding clonal selection and providing a robust experimental system for population-level analyses.
The Huh-7 parental line, established from a 57-year-old Japanese male with hepatocellular carcinoma, is a widely used epithelial model in liver cancer research. These cells retain hallmark signaling pathways and ECM interaction profiles of hepatocyte-derived tumors, making them an appropriate host for studying ECM glycoprotein function.
EFEMP1 encodes fibulin-3, an ECM glycoprotein that contributes to basement membrane integrity and modulates adhesion, migration, and proliferation. It interacts with TIMP3, collagen IV, fibronectin, and laminin, while its expression is controlled by SP1, TGF-??, and miR-29. Downstream, EFEMP1 influences MMP activity, integrin signaling, and the activation of Akt and ERK, intersecting with PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and focal adhesion pathways. In this knockout model, disruption of EFEMP1 is expected to perturb ECM organization, enhance TGF-?? pathway output, and alter integrin-mediated downstream events.
In hepatocellular carcinoma, EFEMP1 often acts as a tumor suppressor, and its deletion may promote proliferation and migration through dysregulated ECM-receptor interactions. This polyclonal knockout population thus represents a valuable tool for dissecting the fibulin-3-dependent mechanisms that constrain liver tumor progression. It allows researchers to examine how loss of ECM integrity influences signaling networks and phenotypic outcomes in a heterogeneous cell population.
Typical research applications encompass hepatocellular carcinoma progression, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, ECM biology, and tumor microenvironment studies. The cells are compatible with western blotting, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, cell migration and proliferation assays, ECM adhesion assays, xenograft models, and RNA-seq. This product offers a defined genetic system for probing EFEMP1-associated regulatory networks in hepatic malignancy. For further information, contact Ascent Research.
