The KDM4B Knockout SK-HEP-1 Polyclonal Cells represent a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from the SK-HEP-1 human liver adenocarcinoma cell line. This polyclonal pool harbors a targeted disruption of the KDM4B gene, creating a loss-of-function model in a mixed cell population. By eliminating KDM4B expression, researchers can probe its role in chromatin regulation and hepatocellular carcinoma biology without the constraints of clonal selection.
SK-HEP-1 is an adherent epithelial cell line originally isolated from ascites of a patient with liver adenocarcinoma, serving as a well-characterized in vitro model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) despite potential endothelial-like features. It is widely employed to study HCC pathogenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic responses, offering a relevant context for investigating KDM4B-driven epigenetic mechanisms in liver cancer.
KDM4B is a histone lysine demethylase that erases repressive H3K9me2/me3 and H3K36me2/me3 marks, acting as a transcriptional coactivator. It is regulated by HIF1A under hypoxia, E2F1, and EGFR signaling, and directly interacts with chromatin modulators such as HDAC1/2, Sin3A, and the NCoR/SMRT complex, engaging in cross-talk with PRC2. By demethylating H3K9me3 at promoters of CCNA2, CCNE1, and MMP9, KDM4B facilitates their expression, thereby driving cell cycle progression and invasion while maintaining pluripotency-associated gene networks.
In SK-HEP-1 cells, KDM4B knockout precipitates H3K9me3 accumulation, silencing oncogenic targets and suppressing proliferation and invasive capacity, as shown in growth and migration assays. This disrupts the hypoxia?CKDM4B?CMMP9 axis and attenuates androgen receptor-mediated transcription, underscoring KDM4B’s critical role in maintaining the malignant HCC phenotype. The model is thus invaluable for dissecting KDM4B-dependent oncogenic pathways and testing demethylase inhibitors.
Applications span chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-qPCR) to assess histone modifications, RT-qPCR and western blotting for target gene and H3K9me3 levels, and functional assays including MTT/CCK-8 proliferation, Transwell migration/invasion, and flow cytometric cell cycle analysis. These cells support hepatocellular carcinoma epigenetics research, demethylase inhibitor validation, oncogene/tumor suppressor studies, and drug target discovery. For technical inquiries, please contact Ascent Research.
