FOXO1/IRE Reporter Lentivirus

Background

FOXO1 is a forkhead-box transcription factor that integrates signals from the insulin and PI3K/Akt pathways. In the absence of insulin signaling, FOXO1 is nuclear and active, binding the insulin response element (IRE) to drive genes that regulate gluconeogenesis, metabolism, stress resistance, and cell survival. When insulin or growth factors activate Akt, FOXO1 is phosphorylated, exported from the nucleus, and inactivated, switching off its transcriptional program. FOXO1 activity can also be modulated by transcriptional repressors such as FOXP1. Through these inputs FOXO1 is a key node in metabolic regulation, and its dysfunction is linked to insulin resistance, diabetes, and other disorders.

Product Description & Applications

The FOXO1/IRE Reporter Lentivirus is a transcription factor reporter system that provides a sensitive fluorescent or luminescent readout of FOXO1 activity in human or mouse cells. The reporter is preferentially activated by FOXO1 over FOXO3 and is built around the insulin response element (IRE), allowing it to report both transcriptional inhibition by FOXP1 and activation of insulin/Akt signaling. Available reporters include GFP, RFP, EGFP, mCherry, firefly luciferase, and Renilla luciferase, with antibiotic selection markers (puromycin or blasticidin) for establishing stable reporter cell lines. The system is used to study FOXO1-dependent transcription, insulin signaling, and metabolic regulation. Supplied as lentiviral particles purified by PEG precipitation and sucrose gradient centrifugation, it efficiently transduces difficult-to-transfect cells, including primary and thawed cells.

About This Product

This reporter lentivirus places a EGFP, Firefly Luc, mCherry, Renilla Luc, GFP, RFP, Luc reporter gene under the control of tandem consensus response elements specific for the FOXO1/IRE transcription factor, coupled to a minimal TATA-box promoter and a proprietary upstream enhancer that maximizes signal-to-noise. The constitutively expressed selection marker (Blasticidin, Puromycin) and/or secondary reporter enables stable polyclonal cell line generation and flexible readout by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, or luminometry.

Stable integration via the lentiviral backbone ensures consistent, clonally representative reporter expression in dividing and post-mitotic target cells — including primary T cells, macrophages, organoids, and cryopreserved material — eliminating the variability inherent to transient transfection. The self-inactivating LTR design and third-generation packaging minimize insertional mutagenesis risk and ensure biosafety classification at BSL-2.