The KATNA1 Knockout HAP1 Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population engineered to disrupt the KATNA1 gene in the HAP1 cell line. This loss-of-function model enables the study of KATNA1, which encodes the catalytic subunit of the microtubule-severing ATPase katanin, without requiring single-cell cloning. The polyclonal format provides a representative population of gene-edited cells, making it suitable for pooled functional assays and high-throughput screening applications.
The host HAP1 cell line is a human near-haploid cell line derived from the KBM-7 chronic myeloid leukemia line. These adherent, fibroblast-like cells are widely used for genetic screening due to their haploid karyotype, which simplifies the generation of homozygous null mutations. The near-haploid background reduces genetic redundancy, facilitating clear phenotypic analysis of gene disruptions, and the cells maintain key signaling pathways relevant to cancer and developmental biology.
KATNA1 functions as the catalytic subunit of the katanin microtubule-severing complex, which cuts microtubules in an ATP-dependent manner. Its activity is regulated by phosphorylation through upstream kinases including Aurora A kinase, CDK1, and PLK1, and it interacts with the regulatory subunit KATNB1 to target microtubules and centrosomal proteins. Downstream, KATNA1-mediated severing modulates the microtubule network, mitotic spindle, and cilia, playing essential roles in spindle assembly, ciliogenesis, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Disruption of KATNA1 is therefore linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, microcephaly, and ciliopathies.
In the HAP1 context, KATNA1 knockout provides a powerful system to dissect microtubule-dependent processes without interference from diploid compensation. The near-haploid genome allows unambiguous assignment of phenotypes to the disrupted allele, enabling rigorous studies of mitotic progression, spindle dynamics, and cilia formation. This model is particularly valuable for high-content imaging screens and functional genomics studies aiming to map KATNA1??s role in cell division and differentiation.
Typical research applications include immunofluorescence staining to visualize microtubule architecture, western blotting for ??-tubulin acetylation or stability, mitotic progression analysis via live-cell imaging, cilia formation assays in serum-starved cells, and microtubule depolymerization assays using nocodazole or cold treatment. These cells are ideal for investigating katanin function in cancer cell biology, neurodevelopment, and ciliopathy modeling, as well as for genetic knockout screening to identify synthetic lethal interactions or modulators of microtubule dynamics. For additional details, please contact Ascent Research.
