The HK2 Knockout HeLa Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from HeLa cells, providing a heterogeneous loss-of-function model for hexokinase 2 (HK2) studies. This product is supplied as viable, proliferating cells that capture the genetic diversity of a mixed edited population. The polyclonal format avoids clonal selection artifacts, enabling reproducible analyses of HK2-dependent metabolic phenotypes in a cancer-relevant background.
HeLa is a human epithelial cervical adenocarcinoma cell line that harbors HPV-18 sequences, features an aneuploid genome, and exhibits robust growth in culture. As a foundational cancer model derived from a cervical tumor biopsy, HeLa cells display hyperactivated PI3K/AKT/mTOR and HIF-1 signaling and rely heavily on aerobic glycolysis, making them particularly suitable for dissecting the role of key glycolytic enzymes such as HK2.
HK2 encodes hexokinase 2, the enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step of glycolysis: phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate (G6P). In cancer, HK2 expression is upregulated by oncogenic drivers including HIF1A, MYC, and AKT1, and its activity is further modulated by mTOR and AMPK. HK2 physically interacts with VDAC1 at the mitochondrial outer membrane, a pairing that links glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation and suppresses apoptosis. Downstream, G6P feeds into the pentose phosphate pathway for ribose-5-phosphate production or proceeds through glycolysis to generate ATP and lactate, with PKM2 and LDHA acting as key terminal effectors. Thus, HK2 sits at the intersection of growth factor signaling and metabolic networks.
Knockout of HK2 in HeLa cells severely curtails glycolytic flux, leading to reduced ATP and lactate output, impaired biosynthetic precursor supply, and heightened susceptibility to metabolic stress and apoptosis. This model allows researchers to investigate the dependence of cervical cancer cells on HK2-driven glycolysis and to explore compensatory metabolic pathways, such as alternative hexokinase isoforms or glutamine utilization. The polyclonal nature further permits observation of heterogeneous metabolic responses within the population.
These cells are widely employed to study the Warburg effect using glucose uptake and lactate production assays, to measure real-time glycolytic capacity via Seahorse XF analyzers, and to screen small-molecule glycolysis inhibitors. Standard molecular techniques including western blotting, RT-qPCR, and Annexin V apoptosis assays validate HK2 disruption and downstream signaling. The cells serve academic and pharmaceutical laboratories focused on cancer metabolism and diabetes research. For further technical details, please contact Ascent Research.
