The KATNBL1 Knockout HAP1 Polyclonal Cells product is a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population engineered for targeted disruption of the KATNBL1 gene. This loss-of-function model is generated in HAP1 cells, providing a powerful tool to investigate the role of the p80 regulatory subunit of the katanin microtubule-severing complex. The polyclonal nature of the population ensures a broad representation of knockout alleles while maintaining a near-complete loss of KATNBL1 function across the cell pool, making it ideally suited for high-throughput functional genomics, phenotypic screening, and detailed cell biology analyses.
The HAP1 host cells are a near-haploid human fibroblast-like cell line derived from the KBM-7 chronic myeloid leukemia line. These cells stably maintain a haploid karyotype for most chromosomes, enabling unambiguous gene knockout by disruption of a single allele. HAP1 cells exhibit adherent, fibroblastoid morphology and retain expression of key signaling and adhesion proteins, facilitating studies of mitosis, cytoskeletal dynamics, and genetic interaction networks without the complexity of diploid compensation.
KATNBL1 encodes the non-catalytic p80 subunit of katanin, which directs the p60 catalytic subunit (KATNA1) to microtubules and stimulates ATP-dependent severing. Functioning downstream of mitotic kinases Aurora A and PLK1, KATNBL1 is phosphorylated to activate severing activity during spindle assembly, thereby regulating spindle length and chromosome segregation. Beyond mitosis, katanin influences interphase microtubule dynamics and participates in cellular processes such as cytokinesis and neurite outgrowth. KATNBL1 forms complexes with KATNA1 and interacts with microtubule-severing proteins spastin and fidgetin, integrating signals from multiple pathways to govern cytoskeletal remodeling.
Combining KATNBL1 knockout with the HAP1 haploid background creates a genetically simplified platform to dissect katanin-dependent mechanisms in cell division and microtubule organization. The absence of a second allele eliminates masking effects, enabling clear-cut phenotypic assessment. This model is particularly valuable for genome-wide screens seeking to uncover modulators of spindle assembly checkpoints, chromosomal stability, and cell cycle progression, areas directly relevant to aneuploidy in cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Typical research applications employing these cells include immunofluorescence microscopy to examine mitotic spindle morphology, live-cell imaging to monitor microtubule dynamics in real time, and flow cytometry for cell cycle profiling. The knockout cells are also used for Western blotting validation of katanin subunits and for phenotypic rescue assays to confirm gene-specific effects. In neurobiology, they serve as a model for studying neurite outgrowth regulation. Moreover, the polyclonal population supports small-molecule screening campaigns aimed at identifying compounds that compensate for defective microtubule severing. For further information, please contact Ascent Research.
