Modulating ion channels with nanobodies

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 ha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sher Ali, Ashley Suris, Yun Huang, Yubin Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-06-01
Series:Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405805X25000134
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850116486573588480
author Sher Ali
Ashley Suris
Yun Huang
Yubin Zhou
author_facet Sher Ali
Ashley Suris
Yun Huang
Yubin Zhou
author_sort Sher Ali
collection DOAJ
description 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.
format Article
id doaj-art-6ecae6bf47624e0682e4973e0cf4d8dd
institution OA Journals
issn 2405-805X
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
record_format Article
series Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology
spelling doaj-art-6ecae6bf47624e0682e4973e0cf4d8dd2025-08-20T02:36:19ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology2405-805X2025-06-0110259359910.1016/j.synbio.2025.02.005Modulating ion channels with nanobodiesSher Ali0Ashley Suris1Yun Huang2Yubin Zhou3Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USACenter for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USACenter for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USACenter for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Corresponding author. Center for Translational Cancer Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, 77030, USAIon 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405805X25000134NanobodyAntibody engineeringIon channelsImmunotherapySynthetic biologyTherapeutics
spellingShingle Sher Ali
Ashley Suris
Yun Huang
Yubin Zhou
Modulating ion channels with nanobodies
Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology
Nanobody
Antibody engineering
Ion channels
Immunotherapy
Synthetic biology
Therapeutics
title Modulating ion channels with nanobodies
title_full Modulating ion channels with nanobodies
title_fullStr Modulating ion channels with nanobodies
title_full_unstemmed Modulating ion channels with nanobodies
title_short Modulating ion channels with nanobodies
title_sort modulating ion channels with nanobodies
topic Nanobody
Antibody engineering
Ion channels
Immunotherapy
Synthetic biology
Therapeutics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405805X25000134
work_keys_str_mv AT sherali modulatingionchannelswithnanobodies
AT ashleysuris modulatingionchannelswithnanobodies
AT yunhuang modulatingionchannelswithnanobodies
AT yubinzhou modulatingionchannelswithnanobodies