VEGF CRISPR Activation Plasmid (r): sc-437276-ACT

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a central regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability in rat tissues, coordinating endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and survival during development and wound repair. VEGF signaling through VEGFR2 activates PI3K–AKT, MAPK/ERK, and PLCγ–PKC pathways, shaping vessel sprouting, lumen formation, and barrier function in response to hypoxia and inflammatory cues. Dysregulated VEGF activity is linked to aberrant neovascularization, edema, and chronic inflammatory remodeling, making it a key target for mechanistic studies of tissue ischemia, retinopathy models, and tumor-associated vascular biology. VEGF also influences neurovascular and renal microvascular homeostasis, supporting research into organ-specific perfusion and fibrotic progression.

VEGF CRISPR Activation Plasmid (r) provides a targeted, non-destructive approach to upregulating endogenous expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence.

VEGF CRISPR Activation Plasmid (r) is a three-plasmid synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system engineered for highly efficient, site-specific transcriptional upregulation of the locus in human cell lines. The system is built around a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) carrying two inactivating mutations (D10A and N863A) that eliminate nuclease activity while preserving DNA binding. This dCas9 is fused to VP64, a potent transcriptional activator, and is co-expressed with a blasticidin resistance gene for selection. The second plasmid encodes the MS2-p65-HSF1 fusion protein, a secondary activator complex that works in concert with dCas9-VP64, alongside a hygromycin resistance gene. The third plasmid encodes a target-specific 20 nt sgRNA fused to two MS2 RNA aptamers that recruit the MS2-p65-HSF1 complex to the activation site, accompanied by a puromycin resistance gene. The three plasmids are delivered at a 1:1:1 mass ratio for balanced expression of all system components.

Once assembled at the target locus, the SAM complex binds within approximately 200 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site, where VP64, p65, and HSF1 act in concert to recruit transcriptional machinery and drive upregulation of endogenous VEGF expression. Unlike nuclease-active Cas9, dCas9 does not introduce double-strand breaks or modify the genomic sequence, preserving the native locus and enabling the study of VEGF-dependent transcriptional responses at the endogenous locus, making it a valuable tool for functional studies, target gene identification, and the modeling of VEGF pathway restoration in tumor cells with silenced or reduced expression.

For Research Use Only. Not Intended for Diagnostic or Therapeutic Use.