The GYS1 Knockout Ca Ski Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from the HPV16-positive Ca Ski cervical epidermoid carcinoma line. This product provides a heterogeneous pool of GYS1-disrupted cells generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene targeting, avoiding clonal selection and offering a robust loss-of-function model for studying glycogen metabolism in a disease-relevant context.
The Ca Ski cell line is a well-characterized model of HPV16-positive cervical carcinoma, harboring integrated viral genome and displaying aberrant proliferation and metabolic reprogramming. Its epithelial origin and HPV-driven oncogenic background make it particularly suited for investigating the interplay between viral pathogenesis and cellular energy pathways, especially glycogen synthesis and storage.
GYS1 encodes the muscle isoform of glycogen synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme that transfers glucose from UDP-glucose to glycogen. Its activity is tightly controlled: insulin/AKT signaling promotes dephosphorylation via PP1, leading to activation, whereas AMPK phosphorylates and inhibits GYS1 under energy stress. Glucose-6-phosphate allosterically activates the enzyme, and GYS1 interacts with glycogenin and PPP1R3 regulatory subunits to facilitate glycogen accumulation. Downstream, GYS1 influences cellular energy homeostasis and mTORC1 signaling. Key pathway components include GLUT4, hexokinase, phosphoglucomutase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and GBE1.
In the Ca Ski background, GYS1 knockout impairs glycogen storage, potentially sensitizing cells to metabolic stress and altering proliferation dynamics. HPV16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins modulate glucose metabolism, and disruption of glycogen synthase may reveal metabolic vulnerabilities or compensatory adaptations in cervical cancer cells. This polyclonal knockout model enables detailed dissection of glycogen’s role in HPV-driven tumorigenesis and its intersection with insulin and AMPK signaling pathways.
This versatile model supports diverse research applications, including glycogen metabolism studies, insulin signaling analysis, cancer cell metabolism investigation, and metabolic disease modeling. Common assays include Western blotting for phospho-AKT and AMPK, RT-qPCR, PAS staining, enzymatic glycogen quantification, glucose uptake assays, and Seahorse metabolic flux analysis. For further information or custom applications, please contact Ascent Research.
