IL11 Knockout A-549 Polyclonal Cells is a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population providing loss-of-function of the IL11 gene in human A-549 cells. The polyclonal nature ensures a heterogeneous mix of cells with diverse IL11-disruptive mutations, offering a convenient and biologically varied model without clonal selection constraints. This product enables robust investigation of IL11-dependent processes in lung epithelial biology.
The A-549 host line is a hypotriploid human lung carcinoma epithelial cell model derived from a 58-year-old Caucasian male. It is widely employed as an in vitro surrogate for alveolar type II pneumocytes, retaining key epithelial traits and responsiveness to cytokines. Thus, it is well-suited for studying lung cancer pathophysiology and pulmonary fibrosis in a human epithelial context.
IL11 encodes a pleiotropic cytokine that signals through the IL11RA/gp130 receptor to activate JAK1/JAK2 and STAT3, with downstream targets including cyclin D1, c-MYC, BCL2, and pro-fibrotic genes COL1A1 and fibronectin. Upstream regulators such as TGF-??, IL-1??, and TNF-?? drive IL11 expression via NF-??B and AP-1. IL11 also engages the PI3K-AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways. Negative feedback is mediated by SOCS3. Disruption of IL11 in these cells therefore impedes JAK/STAT3 signaling, impairing the expression of proliferation, survival, and fibrosis-associated genes.
In A-549 cells, IL11 knockout abrogates autocrine cytokine loops that drive malignant and fibrotic phenotypes. This model is invaluable for dissecting IL11’s role in lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis, as well as its contribution to epithelial-mesenchymal transition through SNAI1 and TWIST. Moreover, it provides a platform to study IL11-mediated pulmonary fibrosis signaling in alveolar epithelial cells and permits analysis of paracrine effects in the tumor microenvironment.
Key applications include western blotting for IL11 and phospho-STAT3, RT-qPCR for target genes, and functional assays such as MTT, scratch wound, and Annexin V staining. The polyclonal knockout pool is also appropriate for RNA-seq, drug screening with JAK/STAT inhibitors, and xenograft tumor models. Co-culture systems can recapitulate epithelial-fibroblast interactions. For further information, please contact Ascent Research.
