The EPHA3 Knockout Raji Polyclonal Cells comprise a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population targeting the EPHA3 gene in the human Raji B lymphoblastoid cell line. This product provides a heterogeneous loss-of-function model generated through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene disruption, enabling studies of EPHA3 deficiency without selection of single-cell clones. The polyclonal format captures a range of editing outcomes, offering researchers a versatile tool for investigating EPHA3-dependent phenotypes in a lymphoid cellular context.
Raji cells are an EBV-positive lymphoblastoid cell line derived from a Burkitt lymphoma patient. They serve as a widely used B lymphocyte model for immunological research, including B-cell receptor signaling, lymphomagenesis, and host-pathogen interactions. The EBV-transformed background provides a proliferative and immortalized phenotype that supports long-term culture and reproducible experimental conditions, making Raji cells a robust platform for genetic perturbation studies.
EPHA3 is a receptor tyrosine kinase for ephrin-A ligands (ephrin-A1?CA5) that triggers bidirectional signaling. Activation leads to autophosphorylation and recruitment of Src family kinases, FAK, and Rho GTPases (RhoA, Rac1, Cdc42), which regulate adhesion, migration, and cytoskeletal reorganization. This feeds into PI3K/AKT and ERK/MAPK pathways; adaptors Grb2 and Nck and the GTPase-activating protein p120RasGAP further couple EPHA3 to RTK and Ras signaling networks. EPHA3 plays roles in axon guidance, tissue patterning, and tumor suppression, with loss potentially impairing repulsive cues and promoting invasiveness.
In the Raji B-lymphoblastoid background, EPHA3 knockout facilitates study of receptor functions in cell adhesion and migration within a lymphoma context. Disruption of EPHA3 may alter PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling, which are commonly dysregulated in B-cell malignancies. This model allows investigation of ephrin-mediated effects on B-cell interactions with the microenvironment, immune synapse dynamics, and the balance between proliferation and apoptosis. The EBV-positive nature of Raji cells also offers a platform to explore crosstalk between viral latency programs and host RTK signaling.
Applications include gene function studies in B-cell lymphoma, ephrin pathway analysis, and therapeutic target validation. The polyclonal knockout cells support Western blotting for total and phospho-EPHA3, RT-qPCR, transwell migration, adhesion, phospho-AKT/phospho-ERK analysis, flow cytometry, and apoptosis assays. They can also be used in co-culture models to study immune cell interactions. For further information, please contact Ascent Research.
