The HDAC6 Knockout CAL-27 Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from the human CAL-27 cell line, designed for loss-of-function studies of HDAC6. The polyclonal format provides a heterogeneous pool of genetically disrupted cells, avoiding clonal selection bias and preserving population diversity for robust functional analyses.
CAL-27 is an adherent epithelial cell line derived from a tongue squamous cell carcinoma of a 56-year-old male. These HPV-negative, p53 wild-type cells are widely used to model head and neck cancer, exhibiting characteristic features of epithelial adhesion, migration, and in vivo tumorigenicity.
HDAC6 is a cytoplasmic deacetylase that primarily targets acetylated ??-tubulin and Hsp90, regulating microtubule dynamics, cell migration, and protein chaperone function. Its activity is responsive to upstream stimuli including EGF, TGF-??, and oxidative stress, and it feeds into signaling pathways such as NF-??B (via IKK??/?? and p65), Ras (via RhoA, Rac1, Cdc42), and FoxO. HDAC6 interacts with p97/VCP, ubiquitin, PP1, and survivin, and it controls downstream effectors like cortactin, peroxiredoxins, FoxO1/3, and tau protein. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene disruption in CAL-27 cells generates a loss-of-function model that profoundly alters these interconnected networks.
In the CAL-27 background, HDAC6 knockout disrupts aggresome formation and autophagy flux, sensitizing cells to proteotoxic and genotoxic stress and highlighting the enzyme??s role in tumor cell stress adaptation. Additionally, loss of HDAC6 impairs microtubule acetylation-dependent cell migration and adhesion, providing a physiologically relevant model to study invasive potential and therapeutic vulnerabilities in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Researchers can employ these polyclonal knockout cells in a variety of assays, including western blotting for acetylated ??-tubulin and Hsp90 acetylation, cell migration and invasion assays, HDAC activity measurements, and flow cytometry-based apoptosis detection. Immunofluorescence can visualize aggresome formation, and qRT-PCR can quantify HDAC6 target gene expression. These applications make the model suitable for cancer biology, drug resistance research, HDAC inhibitor screening, and neurodegeneration studies. For further details, please contact Ascent Research.
