The IFT88 Knockout CAL-27 Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population generated from the human oral squamous cell carcinoma line CAL-27. This product offers a targeted disruption of the IFT88 gene, enabling loss-of-function studies of intraflagellar transport complex B (IFT-B) function. The polyclonal format provides a heterogeneous knockout pool, minimizing clonal artifacts and facilitating robust phenotypic analyses.
CAL-27 is a well-characterized epithelial cell line derived from a tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Its tumorigenic properties and retaining of functional primary cilia make it an ideal host for investigating ciliary biology in a cancer context. This model recapitulates the molecular landscape of oral cancer, allowing dissection of cilium-dependent and -independent mechanisms in tumor progression.
IFT88 encodes a core component of the IFT-B complex, essential for anterograde transport and primary cilium assembly. Its knockout abrogates ciliogenesis and disrupts ciliary signaling. Upstream regulators include RFX2, RFX3, and FOXJ1. IFT88 deficiency impairs Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway transduction, attenuating GLI1, GLI2, and GLI3 activity. It also diminishes PDGFR?? signaling, reducing downstream AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. IFT88 directly interacts with IFT20, IFT52, IFT57, IFT81, kinesin-2, and dynein-2 to form the IFT-B holocomplex. Loss of IFT88 therefore compromises cilium-dependent Shh, Wnt, and PDGFR?? pathways.
In oral squamous cell carcinoma, primary cilium status is increasingly recognized as a modulator of cell behavior. The IFT88 knockout in CAL-27 cells provides a precise genetic tool to evaluate how cilium removal impacts tumor cell proliferation, migration, and drug responses. By uncoupling ciliary and non-ciliary signaling, this model helps clarify the significance of Shh and PDGFR?? pathways in cancer, contributing to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
These polyclonal knockout cells are suited for studies of primary cilia in cancer biology, ciliopathy modeling, and drug target validation. Typical experimental applications include immunofluorescence staining for acetylated tubulin or ARL13B to confirm cilium loss, Western blot and RT-qPCR for IFT88 depletion, RNA-seq for transcriptomic profiling, flow cytometry for cell cycle, and functional assays such as migration, invasion, and drug sensitivity. Hedgehog pathway reporter and apoptosis assays extend the model’s utility. For further assistance, contact Ascent Research.
