INTRACELLULAR ANTIBODIES - DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL

Single-chain antibodies, synthesized by the cell and targeted to a par ticular cellular compartment, can be used to interfere in a highly spe cific manner with cell growth and metabolism. Recent applications of t his technology include the phenotypic knockout of growth-factor recept ors, the functional inactivation of p21(ras) and the inhibition of HIV -1 replication. Intracellular antibodies are likely to have a widespre ad impact in biological research as a simple and effective alternative to other forms of gene inactivation; they demonstrate clear potential as reagents for cancer therapy and for the control of infectious dise ases.