VATIS UPDATE Article

Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Switzerland, have developed a new method by which proteins can be transported to a new location in a cell. The novel tool enables scientists to study the function of proteins depending on their position by using nanobodies. The tool can be used for a wide range of proteins and in various areas of developmental biology. The results have been published in the scientific journal eLife.

The research group of Markus Affolter is investigating the growth of the wings of the fruit fly Drosophila to understand which processes control organ development and growth. Proteins that control such growth processes are the focus of their investigations. In this context, not only the composition of the proteins is important, but also their position which can influence protein function. The new nanobody tool allows the relocation of proteins and thus to study their function in a position-dependent manner.

A repositioning of the proteins of interest requires a labeling with the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Subsequently, so-called anti-GFP nanobodies, small antibody fragments derived from camels, are then used to bind and to move the GFP-tagged proteins to a new site in the living organism. The nanobody itself is linked to a signal protein that defines the destination of the target protein. Thus, the nanobody forces the GFP-tagged protein into a new position. The researchers were able to transfer proteins to a new site, internal or external to the cell.