
Ordering Information
| Product Name | Catalog # | UNIT | Price | Qty | FAVORITES | |
CD8-α CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) | sc-400372-ACT | 20 µg | $397.00 | |||
CD8-α CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h2) | sc-400372-ACT-2 | 20 µg | $397.00 |
CD8A encodes CD8-α, a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that forms CD8αα homodimers or CD8αβ heterodimers on cytotoxic T lymphocytes and subsets of innate-like T cells. CD8-α functions as a co-receptor for MHC class I–restricted TCR signaling by binding MHC I and recruiting LCK to the CD3 complex, thereby amplifying antigen-dependent activation, cytolytic differentiation, and cytokine production. Through this role, CD8A is linked to pathways governing immune synapse formation, T cell effector programming, and interferon-driven inflammatory responses. Altered CD8A expression and CD8+ T cell states are widely used as indicators of immune infiltration and dysfunction in chronic infection, autoimmunity, and tumor-associated immune modulation.
CD8-α CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) provides a targeted, non-destructive approach to upregulating endogenous CD8A expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
CD8-α CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) is a three-plasmid synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system engineered for highly efficient, site-specific transcriptional upregulation of the CD8A 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 CD8A transcriptional start site, where VP64, p65, and HSF1 act in concert to recruit transcriptional machinery and drive upregulation of endogenous CD8-α expression. Unlike nuclease-active Cas9, dCas9 does not introduce double-strand breaks or modify the genomic sequence, preserving the native CD8A locus and enabling the study of CD8-α-dependent transcriptional responses at the endogenous locus, making it a valuable tool for functional studies, target gene identification, and the modeling of CD8-α pathway restoration in tumor cells with silenced or reduced CD8A expression.
For Research Use Only. Not Intended for Diagnostic or Therapeutic Use.