ARE-Luc/EF1α-mCherry Reporter Cell Line - SH-SY5Y

ARE-Luc/EF1α-mCherry Reporter Cell Line - SH-SY5Y is a human neuroblastoma-derived reporter cell line engineered for sensitive monitoring of antioxidant response element (ARE)-dependent transcriptional activity. The parental SH-SY5Y cell line is widely used as an in vitro neuronal model because of its human origin and its relevance to neurobiology, neurotoxicity, and neurodegenerative disease research. In this dual-reporter system, firefly luciferase expression is driven by an ARE-responsive promoter, providing a quantitative readout of pathways regulated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). The constitutively expressed mCherry fluorescent protein is controlled by the EF1α promoter and serves as a stable cell marker for visualization, cell tracking, normalization, and assessment of cell viability or transfection-related variation. The combination of luminescent and fluorescent signals enables convenient, robust, and reproducible analysis of cellular oxidative stress responses in a neuronal cellular context.

This reporter cell line is particularly suitable for studying NRF2/ARE signaling induced by reactive oxygen species, electrophilic compounds, mitochondrial dysfunction, environmental toxicants, and pharmacological agents. It can be used to screen small molecules, natural products, and biologics for antioxidant, cytoprotective, or neuroprotective activity, as well as to identify compounds that activate or inhibit the NRF2 pathway. In neurotoxicity studies, ARE-Luc/EF1α-mCherry SH-SY5Y cells provide a useful platform for evaluating oxidative injury caused by pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, and disease-associated stressors. The cells are also applicable to mechanistic studies involving redox homeostasis, mitochondrial stress, inflammation-associated oxidative signaling, and cellular defense pathways. Luciferase activity can be quantified in standard plate-based assays for medium- or high-throughput screening, while mCherry fluorescence supports live-cell imaging and monitoring of cell number or morphology.