ABSTRACT
Protein knockdown using an improved auxin-inducible degron (AID2) technology has proven to be a powerful tool for studying protein function. The current approach requires the fusion of target proteins with a degron tag, a process typically achieved through CRISPR knock-in. However, knock-in remains challenging in non-model organisms and humans, limiting the broader applicability of AID2. To overcome this limitation, we developed a single-chain antibody AID2 (scAb-AID2) system. This approach employs an adaptor composed of a single-chain antibody fused with a degron, which recognizes a target protein and induces rapid degradation in the presence of the inducer 5-Ph-IAA. We demonstrated that scAb-AID2, in combination with an anti-GFP nanobody, degraded GFP-fused proteins in human cells and Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, we showed that endogenous p53 and H/K-RAS were conditionally degraded in cells expressing an adaptor encoding an anti-p53 nanobody and -RAS monobody, respectively, and led to aphidicolin sensitivity in cell culture and growth inhibition in mouse xenografts. This study paves the way for broader application of AID2-based target depletion in model and non-model organisms and for advancing therapeutic strategies.
Footnotes
Author contributions
Conceptualization: M.T.K.; Data curation: M.I., Y.H., M.T.K.; Formal analysis: M.I., T.N., N.K.; Funding acquisition: T.N., M.T.K.; Investigation: M.I., T.N., N.K., Y.H.; Methodology: M.I., Y.H.; Project administration: K.G., M.T.K.; Resources: K.-i.H.; Supervision: K.G., M.T.K.; Writing – original draft: M.I., T.N., N.K., M.T.K.; Writing – review & editing: M.I., K.-i.H., M.T.K.
Funding
This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI grant JP23K05836 to T.N.; KAKENHI grants JP21H04719, JP23H04925 and JP25H00979 to M.T.K.) and Japan Science and Technology Agency Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (JPMJCR21E6 to M.T.K.).
Data and resource availability
All relevant data can be found within the article and its supplementary information.