ABA-AA: A simple, reversible, and non-toxic anchor-away system for effective nuclear protein depletion

Journal article, 2026

The anchor-away (AA) technique enables rapid depletion of nuclear proteins by tethering them to cytoplasmic anchors through rapamycin-induced heterodimerization. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this system is restricted to rapamycin-resistant strains, as the drug inhibits TOR signaling and hinders the heat-shock response, precluding its application in stress-related studies. Moreover, this AA method is not rapidly reversible, limiting studies that require transient perturbation and functional restoration. To overcome these constraints, we developed an alternative AA system that uses the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) to induce conditional association of the target to its cytoplasmic anchor. Gene expression and microscopy analyses demonstrate that the ABA-AA system enables rapid and fully reversible depletion of highly abundant nuclear proteins. Unlike rapamycin, ABA is non-toxic, does not cause major gene expression changes, and is suitable for diverse genetic backgrounds. The ABA-AA system, therefore, provides a broadly applicable alternative for nuclear protein depletion across eukaryotic systems.