Sox-1 CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h): sc-401473-ACT

SOX1 encodes the Sox-1 transcription factor, a high-mobility group (HMG) box DNA-binding protein that plays a central role in early neuroectoderm specification and maintenance of neural progenitor identity. Sox-1 regulates transcriptional programs controlling cell fate commitment, differentiation timing, and neural tube patterning, functioning within broader developmental signaling networks that intersect with Wnt, Notch, and Shh pathways. In human biology, altered SOX1 expression and lineage programs are relevant to studies of neurodevelopmental dysregulation and context-specific transcriptional reprogramming observed in cancers with stem-like features. As a lineage marker and regulator, SOX1 is widely used to model neural differentiation trajectories and to interrogate gene regulatory networks in stem and progenitor cell systems.

Sox-1 CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) provides a targeted, non-destructive approach to upregulating endogenous SOX1 expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence.

Sox-1 CRISPR Activation Plasmid (h) is a three-plasmid synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system engineered for highly efficient, site-specific transcriptional upregulation of the SOX1 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 SOX1 transcriptional start site, where VP64, p65, and HSF1 act in concert to recruit transcriptional machinery and drive upregulation of endogenous Sox-1 expression. Unlike nuclease-active Cas9, dCas9 does not introduce double-strand breaks or modify the genomic sequence, preserving the native SOX1 locus and enabling the study of Sox-1-dependent transcriptional responses at the endogenous locus, making it a valuable tool for functional studies, target gene identification, and the modeling of Sox-1 pathway restoration in tumor cells with silenced or reduced SOX1 expression.

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