The tumor suppressor p53 is of crucial importance in the prevention of cellular transformation. In the presence of cellular stress signals, the negative feedback loop between p53 and Mdm2, its main negative regulator, is disrupted, which results in the activation and stabilization of p53. Via a complex interplay between both transcription-dependent and - independent functions of p53, the cell will go through transient cell cycle arrest, cellular senescence or apoptosis. However, it remains difficult to completely fathom the mechanisms behind p53 regulation and its responses, considering the presence of multiple layers involved in fine-tuning them. In order to take the next step forward, novel research tools are urgently needed. We have developed single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies, that specifically bind with the N-terminal transactivation domain of wild type p53, but that leave the function of p53 as a transcriptional transactivator intact. When the nanobodies are equipped with a mitochondrial-outer-membrane (MOM)-tag, we can capture p53 at the mitochondria. This nanobody-induced mitochondrial delocalization of p53 is, in specific cases, associated with a decrease in cell viability and with morphological changes in the mitochondria. These findings underpin the potential of nanobodies as bona fide research tools to explore protein function and to unravel their biochemical pathways.
Keywords: VHH; cancer; cell death; intrabody; mitochondria; nanobodies; single-domain-antibody; the tumor suppressor p53.