Ali Sher, Suris Ashley, Huang Yun, Zhou Yubin
Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Center for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Synth Syst Biotechnol. 2025 Feb 18;10(2):593-599. doi: 10.1016/j.synbio.2025.02.005. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Ion channels play instrumental roles in regulating membrane potential and cross-membrane signal transduction, thus making them attractive targets for understanding various physiological processes and associated diseases. Gaining a deeper understanding of their structural and functional properties has significant implications for developing therapeutic interventions. In recent years, nanobodies, single-domain antibody fragments derived from camelids, have emerged as powerful tools in ion channel and synthetic biology research. Their small size, high specificity, and ability to recognize difficult-to-reach epitopes offer advantages over conventional antibodies and biologics. Furthermore, their resemblance to the variable region of human IgG family III reduces immunogenicity concerns. Nanobodies have introduced new opportunities for exploring ion channel structure-function relationships and offer a promising alternative to conventional drugs, which often face challenges such as off-target effects and toxicity. This review highlights recent progress in applying nanobodies to interrogate and modulate ion channel activity, with an emphasis on their potential to overcome current technical and therapeutic limitations.
离子通道在调节膜电位和跨膜信号转导中发挥着重要作用，因此使其成为理解各种生理过程及相关疾病的有吸引力的靶点。深入了解其结构和功能特性对于开发治疗性干预措施具有重要意义。近年来，源自骆驼科动物的单域抗体片段纳米抗体已成为离子通道和合成生物学研究中的强大工具。它们的小尺寸、高特异性以及识别难以触及的表位的能力比传统抗体和生物制品具有优势。此外，它们与人类IgG III家族可变区的相似性降低了对免疫原性的担忧。纳米抗体为探索离子通道结构-功能关系带来了新机会，并为传统药物提供了有前景的替代方案，传统药物常常面临诸如脱靶效应和毒性等挑战。本综述重点介绍了应用纳米抗体来探究和调节离子通道活性的最新进展，强调了它们克服当前技术和治疗局限性的潜力。
