C. elegans ced-7 Functional Gene Editing Service

Service Overview Precision editing of CED-7 in a premier genetic model for cell death research

ced-7 encodes a C. elegans ABC transporter of the A subfamily, related to mammalian ABCA1. CED-7 is required both on the dying cell (for phosphatidylserine exposure) and on the engulfing cell (for corpse recognition), making it a unique dual-function component of the engulfment pathway.

ABCA1 is the gene mutated in Tangier disease and a central controller of cellular lipid homeostasis. CD BioSciences designs and delivers custom ced-7 alleles — knockout, knockin, and ATPase-domain point mutants — for ABC transporter and atherosclerosis research.

About the Target Gene: ced-7 Key biological and practical facts to inform your edit design

Gene symbol	ced-7 (ABC transporter (engulfment))
Protein product	CED-7 — ABCA1-like transporter
Mammalian homolog	ABCA1 (and related ABC-A subfamily)
Biological role	ABC transporter required for phosphatidylserine exposure on apoptotic cells and for the recognition step of corpse clearance on the engulfing-cell side.
Loss-of-function phenotype	Persistent cell corpses; engulfment-defective on both the dying-cell and engulfing-cell sides.
Why edit it	ABCA1 in cholesterol efflux and atherosclerosis (Tangier disease); lipid asymmetry; cell-cell recognition in phagocytosis.
Recommended background	N2 (wild type); can be combined with ced-1, ced-6, or ced-10 mutants.
Representative allele	Standard knockout (ok / tm / gk series); n1994 is a canonical reference allele.

Fig. 1 Recognition branch of the C. elegans corpse-clearance pathway. The highlighted (amber) node marks the editing target.

ced-7 at a glance: blocks engulfment of apoptotic corpses; persistent-cell-corpse phenotype easy to score. Editing ced-7 alone is a powerful way to dissect CED-7 function in vivo, with conserved relevance to human ABCA1 biology.

Our ced-7 Editing Strategies Choose the allele that matches your experimental question

Gene Knockout

gRNA-guided Cas9 cutting with NHEJ repair to introduce frameshift indels, generating premature stop codons and null / strong-loss-of-function ced-7 alleles.

Knockin & Tagging

Homology-directed repair (HDR) inserts GFP / HA / FLAG or other tags at the ced-7 locus for endogenous expression and subcellular localization studies.

Point Mutation

Introduce specific amino-acid substitutions to dissect functional domains and separate catalytic from scaffolding roles of CED-7.

Conditional & Reporter Alleles

Build tissue-specific or inducible configurations and reporter lines for spatiotemporal analysis of CED-7 function.

Workflow of Our ced-7 Editing Service From sequence to validated strain in a streamlined pipeline

Strategy Design

Define target (knockout / knockin / point mutation), select gRNA(s) and HDR template, confirm against the latest genome build.

gRNA Synthesis

Design, validate, and synthesize high-specificity guide RNAs targeting the ced-7 locus.

Vector & Template Construction

Build Cas9 / gRNA delivery construct and, for knockin, the homology-arm repair template.

Microinjection

Perform gonadal microinjection of N2 animals with CRISPR components and co-CRISPR selection markers.

Screening & Verification

PCR, Sanger / sequencing, and phenotype confirmation to isolate edited animals and verify alleles.

Delivery & Report

Provide homozygous / balanced ced-7 strains plus a full genotype and methods report.

Key Features Why researchers choose CD BioSciences for C. elegans editing

High-efficiency, optimized CRISPR / Cas9 platform for C. elegans.
Whole-process technical traceability and transparent timelines.
Flexible editing: knockout, knockin, tagging, and point mutation.
Full genotype verification before strain delivery.
One-stop model development integrated with our C. elegans portfolio.
Competitive pricing and short turnaround.
Direct access to scientists and prompt inquiry response.
Reliable, convenient global shipping of frozen stocks.

Applications Where a custom ced-7 model adds value

ABCA1 transporter function in cholesterol efflux.
Tangier disease modeling.
Lipid asymmetry and phosphatidylserine exposure.
Atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease research.
Cell-cell recognition in phagocytosis.
ABC transporter family function and pharmacology.

Deliverables What you receive with every project

Genetically verified ced-7 edited strain(s) (homozygous or balanced).
Detailed genotyping report (editing strategy, allele sequence, verification data).
Methods summary and rearing / storage recommendations.
Optional: crosses into reporter or co-CRISPR selection backgrounds.
Optional: phenotype confirmation and imaging support.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of ced-7 allele will I get from a knockout project?

Standard knockout projects deliver a frameshift indel allele predicted to produce a premature stop and a loss-of-function phenotype. We confirm the edit by sequencing and, where relevant, by characteristic phenotype assays.

Can you add a GFP or epitope tag to endogenous ced-7?

Yes. Using HDR with a designed repair template, we can insert GFP, HA, or FLAG tags at the C- or N-terminus while preserving endogenous promoter and regulation.

How long does a typical ced-7 editing project take?

Timelines vary with editing type and validation needs, but our optimized pipeline and co-CRISPR selection typically shorten turnaround versus conventional approaches. Contact us with your design for a project-specific estimate.

Does ced-7 act on the dying cell or the engulfing cell?

Both. CED-7 is required on the apoptotic cell for phosphatidylserine exposure and on the engulfing cell for corpse recognition. Mosaic analysis is the standard way to dissect the two roles, and our knockin / knockout alleles are well suited to such experiments.

Start Your ced-7 Editing Project

CD BioSciences is committed to convenient, efficient, and cost-effective C. elegans model customization. Tell us your target design — knockout, knockin, tagging, or point mutation — and our scientists will respond with a tailored plan and quote.

References
1. Kim H. M., Colaiácovo M. P. CRISPR-Cas9-guided genome engineering in C. elegans. Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, 2016, 115(1): 31.7.1–31.7.18.
2. Quazi F., Molday R. S. Differential phospholipid substrates and directional transport by ATP-binding cassette proteins ABCA1, ABCA7, and ABCA4. J Biol Chem, 2013, 288(48): 34414-34426.

For research use only.