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Intracellular antibodies: development and therapeutic potential
1Division of Human Retrovirology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Single-chain antibodies, synthesized by the cell and targeted to a particular cellular compartment, can be used to interfere in a highly specific manner with cell growth and metabolism. Recent applications of this technology include the phenotypic knockout of growth-factor receptors, the functional inactivation of p21ras and the inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Intracellular antibodies are likely to have a widespread impact in biological research as a simple and effective alternative to other forms of gene inactivation; they demonstrate clear potential as reagents for cancer therapy and for the control of infectious diseases.
Single-chain antibodies, synthesized by the cell and targeted to a particular cellular compartment, can be used to interfere in a highly specific manner with cell growth and metabolism. Recent applications of this technology include the phenotypic knockout of growth-factor receptors, the functional inactivation of p21ras and the inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Intracellular antibodies are likely to have a widespread impact in biological research as a simple and effective alternative to other forms of gene inactivation; they demonstrate clear potential as reagents for cancer therapy and for the control of infectious diseases.