Not all genes are suitable for knockout. Some gene knockouts may result in cell death or severe dysfunction, particularly for essential genes. In such cases, conditional knockouts or gene knockdowns (e.g., RNAi) may be used instead.

Researchers use KO cell lines to investigate gene functions by observing the effects of gene deletion on cellular behavior. This helps in understanding the role of genes in various processes like cell growth, metabolism, and signal transduction. KO cell lines are vital for studying diseases like cancer, genetic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.

EDITGENE provides access to a comprehensive library of over 4,500 high-quality knockout (KO) cell lines, enabling researchers to save valuable time. Our custom gene knockout services are highly efficient, boasting a high positive rate while minimizing off-target effects. Clients also benefit from personalized, one-on-one support from a team of PhD experts from globally renowned institutions, ensuring top-tier service and results.

KO (Knockout) cell line is a cell line where a specific gene has been completely removed or rendered non-functional through gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9. These cell lines are critical for understanding gene functions and disease mechanisms.

KO cell lines can be applied to various cell types, including cancer cells, stem cells, and primary cells, but different cell types may have varying sensitivities to gene editing, and may vary among different cell types. In certain cell types, achieving gene knockout may require optimization of transfection conditions and selection of appropriate gene-editing tools.

EDITGENE brings 10 years of CRISPR-based cell editing experience and offers one-on-one support from a team of PhDs from globally recognized institutions.

Both iPSCs and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have pluripotency, but iPSCs are obtained by reprogramming the somatic cells, while ESCs come from early embryos. IPSC does not involve the use of embryos and does not violate ethical requirements, so it can also avoid immune rejection issues in scientific research. Therefore, iPSC is considered to be a preferred choice.

Both double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) targets can activate the trans-cleaving activity (also known as collateral cleavage) of Cas12a, similar to Cas12b. However, the efficiency differs: ssDNA targets activate Cas12b trans-cleaving activity more efficiently than dsDNA targets, while dsDNA targets activate Cas12a trans-cleaving activity more efficiently than ssDNA targets.

What is the difference between a single-plasmid system and a dual-plasmid system for library vectors? A single-plasmid system can achieve gene editing with one transfection, making construction relatively simple, but the larger plasmid size can lead to lower infection efficiency. In a dual-plasmid system, two vectors are used, each carrying either the Cas9 or sgRNA expression cassette. A stable Cas9 cell line is first constructed, and then the sgRNA library is transfected into this cell line. This approach has several advantages:
1.Increased Editing Efficiency: The independent and stable expression of Cas9 protein and sgRNA on different vectors enhances editing efficiency.
2.Flexibility: Vectors can be designed and constructed flexibly based on experimental needs, such as loading two sgRNA expression cassettes into one vector.
3.Increased Viral Titer: By splitting into two plasmids, the load on each plasmid is reduced, facilitating viral packaging and increasing yield and titer.
4.Increased Stability: Independently constructing a stable Cas9 cell line ensures that the Cas9 expression levels and editing efficiency in each cell are approximately the same, enhancing experimental accuracy.

Cell selection can follow these principles:
1.It should align with the research objectives.
2.The genes targeted by the sgRNA library should correspond to the cell's lineage.
3.The cells should be capable of stable passaging.
4.The transfection efficiency should be high.
5.Avoid primary cells whenever possible. Primary cells cannot be stably passaged and may experience significant cell death during the library screening process, which can hinder experiment completion. If primary cells must be used for library screening, mitigating this risk can be achieved by lowering cell coverage and choosing a library with fewer gRNAs to minimize the cell pool size and shorten the experimental duration.

Monoclonal screening is the process of isolating a single clone from a mixed pool of cells and expanding that clone into a cell line. Monoclonal screening ensures that the cell lines used originate from a single cell, guaranteeing a high degree of genetic background consistency. After cells are gene-edited or genetically modified, the genetic background differences among the cells in the initial cell pool can be significant, making subsequent experimental results inaccurate. By using monoclonal screening, researchers can obtain cell populations with consistent genetic backgrounds and stable gene edits, allowing for stable and accurate monitoring of phenotypic changes.