Integrin α6/ITGA6/CD49f CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h): sc-400380-ACT

ITGA6 encodes integrin α6 (CD49f), an α subunit that pairs primarily with β1 or β4 to form laminin-binding receptors that organize cell–extracellular matrix adhesion. Through focal adhesion signaling and integrin-linked kinase pathways, α6-containing integrins regulate cytoskeletal dynamics, cell polarity, migration, and survival, influencing epithelial and stem/progenitor cell behaviors. ITGA6 is widely used as a marker of basal epithelial compartments and tissue-resident progenitors, and altered integrin α6 signaling has been associated with changes in invasion, differentiation state, and microenvironmental interactions across multiple disease contexts. Its roles in hemidesmosome assembly and basement membrane engagement make it a frequent target for studies of tissue architecture, wound repair, and metastasis-related phenotypes.

Integrin α6/ITGA6/CD49f CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) provides a targeted, non-destructive approach to upregulating endogenous ITGA6 expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence.

Integrin α6/ITGA6/CD49f CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) is a three-plasmid synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system engineered for highly efficient, site-specific transcriptional upregulation of the ITGA6 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 ITGA6 transcriptional start site, where VP64, p65, and HSF1 act in concert to recruit transcriptional machinery and drive upregulation of endogenous Integrin α6/ITGA6/CD49f expression. Unlike nuclease-active Cas9, dCas9 does not introduce double-strand breaks or modify the genomic sequence, preserving the native ITGA6 locus and enabling the study of Integrin α6/ITGA6/CD49f-dependent transcriptional responses at the endogenous locus, making it a valuable tool for functional studies, target gene identification, and the modeling of Integrin α6/ITGA6/CD49f pathway restoration in tumor cells with silenced or reduced ITGA6 expression.

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