title: Hsp90-binding immunophilins as a potential new platform for drug treatment.
abstract: Immunophilins are proteins that contain a PPIase domain as a family signature. Low-molecular-weight immunophilins were first described associated to immunosuppressive action and protein folding. Recent studies of other members of the family have led to the identification of their participation in basic processes such as protein-protein interactions, signal transduction cascades, cell differentiation, cell cycle progression, metabolic activity, apoptosis mechanisms, microorganisms infection, cancer, neurotrophism and neuroprotection, among several other physiological and pathophysiological processes. Due to all these emerging features, the development of specific ligands for immunophilins appears to have promising perspectives, in particular in the fields of cancer biology and neuroregeneration fields. We review the emerging role of immunophilins in protein transport, transcription regulation, malignancies development and neurotrophic action, in addition to a number of biological properties that transform these proteins in potential targets for novel therapeutic strategies.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Biológica-IQUIBICEN, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires (C1428EGA), Argentina.
authors.forename: Alejandra G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Erlejman
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagadari
authors.forename: Mario D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Galigniana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D020104:Immunophilins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis; D011485:Protein Binding; D021381:Protein Transport; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; D020104:Immunophilins