The MAEA Knockout Raji Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout cell population derived from the Raji B lymphoblastoid cell line. This product offers a genetically heterogeneous loss-of-function model with disrupted MAEA gene expression, enabling researchers to study the role of this E3 ubiquitin ligase in B-cell lymphoma biology without clonal selection.
The Raji cell line was established from a Burkitt’s lymphoma patient and is widely used as a model for B-cell malignancies. These EBV-positive B lymphocytes exhibit characteristics of antibody production and immune response, and they retain key oncogenic features such as MYC translocation. As a suspension cell line, Raji cells are amenable to a variety of functional assays and are a standard tool for dissecting lymphoma pathobiology.
MAEA encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase that acts as a substrate receptor within the CTLH (C-terminal to LisH) complex. Through this complex, MAEA promotes the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of the tumor suppressor p53, a critical event in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis suppression. MAEA is upregulated by the MYC oncogenic transcription factor and functionally interacts with partners including RMND5A, GID4, and the APC/C complex. Downstream consequences of MAEA activity include altered levels of p53, Cyclin D1, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor CDKN1A (p21), collectively driving cell cycle progression and inhibiting apoptotic programs.
In Raji B lymphocytes, MAEA is implicated in the malignant phenotype by restraining p53-dependent tumor suppression. The ablation of MAEA through CRISPR/Cas9 in these cells disrupts the CTLH complex-mediated degradation of p53, leading to p53 stabilization and potential reactivation of pro-apoptotic and cell cycle arrest pathways. This model thus provides a powerful tool to investigate the interplay between oncogenic MYC signaling and the ubiquitin-proteasome system in B-cell lymphomas, and it may reveal vulnerabilities that can be exploited therapeutically.
Researchers can employ these MAEA knockout Raji polyclonal cells in a range of studies, including cancer cell biology, apoptosis mechanism analysis, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway dissection. Typical assays include Western blotting for p53, cleaved caspase-3, and MAEA; flow cytometry-based cell cycle and Annexin V/PI apoptosis analysis; cell proliferation assays (MTT or BrdU); RT-qPCR for target genes; co-immunoprecipitation to examine protein interactions; in vitro ubiquitination assays; and xenograft tumor growth models to assess tumorigenicity. These applications are particularly relevant for validating MAEA as a drug target in B-cell malignancies. For further technical details or to discuss custom knockout models, please contact Ascent Research.
