
Ordering Information
| Product Name | Catalog # | UNIT | Price | Qty | FAVORITES | |
GDF-11 CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) | sc-400969-ACT | 20 µg | $397.00 |
Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11; GDF-11) is a secreted TGF-β superfamily ligand that signals through activin type II and type I receptors to activate SMAD2/3-dependent transcriptional programs. In human cells, GDF11 regulates developmental patterning, cell fate decisions, and tissue homeostasis, with downstream effects on proliferation, differentiation, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Altered GDF11 expression or signaling has been studied in contexts involving muscle and cardiac remodeling, neurodevelopmental processes, and cancer-relevant pathways such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition and stromal interactions. As a circulating morphogen-like factor, GDF11 is also used to interrogate paracrine signaling dynamics and receptor-mediated pathway crosstalk.
GDF-11 CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) provides a targeted, non-destructive approach to upregulating endogenous GDF11 expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
GDF-11 CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) is a three-plasmid synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system engineered for highly efficient, site-specific transcriptional upregulation of the GDF11 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 GDF11 transcriptional start site, where VP64, p65, and HSF1 act in concert to recruit transcriptional machinery and drive upregulation of endogenous GDF-11 expression. Unlike nuclease-active Cas9, dCas9 does not introduce double-strand breaks or modify the genomic sequence, preserving the native GDF11 locus and enabling the study of GDF-11-dependent transcriptional responses at the endogenous locus, making it a valuable tool for functional studies, target gene identification, and the modeling of GDF-11 pathway restoration in tumor cells with silenced or reduced GDF11 expression.
For Research Use Only. Not Intended for Diagnostic or Therapeutic Use.