| Description |
The calcium dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin is responsible for the de-phosphorylation of the transcriptional regulator nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and is essential for NFAT’s nuclear translocation and activation (1,2). Calcineurin is a target of two common immunosuppressants, cyclosporin A (CsA) (3) and FK-506 (also know as tacrolimus and fugimycin) (4), both of which can inhibit antigen and mitogen triggered T cell activation. These drugs interact with the immunophilins cyclophilin and FKBP-12, respectively, and the immunophilin-drug complex binds to calcineurin to inhibit substrate binding (5). FK-506 can be up to 100-fold more potent than CsA in various models (6-8).
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