The ELANE Knockout HeLa Polyclonal Cells product is a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population targeting the human ELANE gene in the HeLa cell line. This pool of cells harbors disruptions in the ELANE locus, generated via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene disruption, and is provided as a mixed population rather than a clonal isolate. The polyclonal format captures a range of editing outcomes, allowing researchers to study the collective impact of ELANE loss of function without the selective pressures of single-cell cloning.
HeLa cells are a widely used human epithelial cell line originally isolated from an HPV18-positive cervical adenocarcinoma. They offer robust proliferative capacity and have served as a fundamental model in cancer research, virology, and signal transduction studies. Their epithelial origin provides a relevant context for investigating ELANE function in non-hematopoietic cells, complementing studies in neutrophil biology and enabling the exploration of epithelial-specific responses to perturbations in protease signaling networks.
ELANE encodes neutrophil elastase, a serine protease regulated by transcription factors C/EBP?? and PU.1 and released in response to cytokines such as G-CSF and TNF??. It degrades extracellular matrix proteins including elastin, collagen, and fibronectin, and regulates inflammatory signaling through cleavage of PAR-2 and cytokines IL-8 and TGF-??. Its activity is restrained by endogenous inhibitors including alpha-1-antitrypsin, SLPI, and elafin, and its dysregulation fuels NF-??B-mediated inflammatory cascades and tissue remodeling.
While ELANE is classically associated with neutrophils, its ectopic expression or detection in epithelial cells has been implicated in tumor microenvironments and chronic inflammatory settings. The ELANE knockout in HeLa cells provides a defined genetic background to dissect neutrophil elastase-mediated signaling in epithelial biology. This model facilitates studies of PAR-2 activation, integrin crosstalk, and cytokine responses independently of neutrophil-derived elastase, enabling precise dissection of paracrine versus autocrine effects in epithelial cells.
This product is suited for assays of epithelial cell migration, invasion, and cytokine production using ELISA or multiplex methods, and for signaling studies of the NF-??B and PAR pathways. It can be used in co-culture with primary neutrophils to model host-microbe interactions and protease crosstalk. Drug discovery efforts can employ these cells for target validation and off-target screening of elastase inhibitors. For further information, please contact Ascent Research.
