PARASITE CYCLOPHILINS AND ANTIPARASITE ACTIVITY OF CYCLOSPORINE-A

Cyclosporin A (CsA) was initially developed as an immunosuppressive dr ug. In the past several years, it has been shown to possess antiparasi te activity independent of the immune system. It is not known how the drug exerts these antiparasite effects, or why it is stage and/or spec ies specific. The answers may lie in the enzymatic function of cycloph ilins. The cyclophilins are a growing family of proteins that exhibit peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPiase) activity and bind CsA to varying degrees. PPiases have been shown to play a role in the folding of many essential proteins. Antony Page, Sanjay Kumar and Clotilde Ca rlow here review parasite cyclophilins and their association with CsA. The possible biological function of parasite cyclophilins and their p otential role in future drug discovery are also discussed.