Cyclophilin A is required for M-CSF-dependent macrophage proliferation.

Macrophage Biology Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona Science Park, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

The immunosuppressor sanglifehrin A (SfA) is a member of a family of immunophilin cyclophilin A-binding molecules and does not inhibit calcineurin activity. Sanglifehrin A inhibits M-CSF-dependent macrophage proliferation by arresting the G1 phase of the cell cycle but does not affect cell viability. This immunosuppressor exerts its action on proliferation by inactivating cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) activity. Moreover, c-myc expression is also repressed. In the early steps of M-CSF signaling, SfA inhibits the phosphorylation of Raf-1 and the external regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1, which are required for proliferation. The effects of SfA are not related to a block of the proteosome activity. These data show that immunophilin contributes to M-CSF-dependent proliferation through activation of the Raf-1/MEK/ERK pathway and the regulation of Cdk activities, which is required for cell cycle progression.

PMID: 16909430 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]