Mouse Tfrc shRNA Lentivirus

Background

Tfrc encodes the transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1, CD71), a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates cellular iron uptake by binding iron-loaded transferrin and internalizing it through receptor-mediated endocytosis. As the principal route of iron acquisition, TfR1 is essential for processes that depend on iron, including DNA synthesis, mitochondrial respiration, and erythropoiesis. Its expression is tightly coupled to cellular iron demand and proliferative state, and is markedly elevated in many rapidly dividing and tumor cells. Because of this, TfR1 is widely studied as a marker of proliferation and iron metabolism, as a determinant of ferroptosis sensitivity, and as a candidate target for cancer therapy and drug delivery.

Product Description & Applications

The Mouse Tfrc shRNA Lentivirus delivers a validated short hairpin RNA that achieves at least 70% knockdown of mouse transferrin receptor (Tfrc/CD71). The shRNA is expressed from a U6 promoter in a third-generation, self-inactivating lentiviral backbone, with a co-expressed fluorescent reporter (GFP or RFP, optionally with luciferase) and antibiotic selection marker enabling stable cell line generation. Knockdown efficiency is confirmed using a rapid fluorescence-based assay rather than qPCR. Applications include loss-of-function studies of iron uptake, cellular proliferation, ferroptosis, and tumor cell metabolism. Particles are ultra-purified and concentrated to high titer by PEG precipitation and sucrose gradient centrifugation, supporting efficient transduction of difficult-to-transfect cells, including primary and thawed cultures.

About This Product

This validated shRNA lentivirus targeting Tfrc (NCBI Accession: NM_011638) delivers a 19–20 bp shRNA from a third-generation, self-inactivating lentiviral backbone. Expression is driven from a U6 Pol III promoter, with a constitutively expressed fluorescent reporter (GFP, RFP, GFP/Luc, RFP/Luc) and antibiotic selection marker (Puromycin, Blasticidin) co-expressed from the same vector. VSV-G pseudotyping enables broad cell tropism, including primary, suspension, and cryopreserved cell types.

Knockdown is validated using a proprietary bicistronic fluorescence assay in which the target mRNA is co-expressed fused to RFP alongside the shRNA-GFP construct. At least 70% reduction in RFP signal in GFP-positive cells confirms on-target activity — a more direct functional readout than transcript-level qPCR. Polyclonal stable lines can be generated by antibiotic selection within 10 days, preserving parental cell heterogeneity compared to single-clone CRISPR approaches.