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A Cell-Permeable Nanobody to Restore F508del Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Activity

L. Franz, T. Rubil, A. Balázs, M. Overtus, K. Kemnitz-Hassanin, C. Govaerts, M. A. Mall, C. P. R. Hackenberger – 2024

Nanobodies have gained considerable attention as particularly promising biopharmaceuticals. However, nanobody-based modalities are currently limited to extracellular targets due to a lack of efficient delivery methods required to reach targets inside cells. In this study, we introduce cell-permeable nanobodies for targeting a disease-relevant intracellular protein, namely the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel with the most common cystic fibrosis (CF)-causing mutation F508del. We employ cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to deliver a CFTR-binding nanobody (NB1) that stabilizes misfolded F508del-CFTR and prevents its degradation to restore its function. Our data show that conjugation of a disulfide-linked CPP in combination with a cell-surface anchored CPP-additive enables intracellular delivery of NB1 into CF bronchial epithelial cells, which promotes maturation and trafficking of F508del-CFTR protein to the apical cell membrane. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the cell-permeable nanobody restores CFTR chloride channel function, which can be further enhanced by the clinically approved small molecule CFTR potentiator ivacaftor. This study highlights the use of cell-permeable nanobodies for modulation of protein function and illustrates their therapeutic potential as next-generation biopharmaceuticals for intracellular delivery and targeting.

Title
A Cell-Permeable Nanobody to Restore F508del Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Activity
Author
L. Franz, T. Rubil, A. Balázs, M. Overtus, K. Kemnitz-Hassanin, C. Govaerts, M. A. Mall, C. P. R. Hackenberger
Date
2024
Identifier
10.1101/2024.04.26.591242
Source(s)
Citation
bioRxiv,2024, 2024.04.26.591242
Type
Text