Cyclophilin A is a mitochondrial factor that forms antiapoptotic complexes with p23

Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is an abundant and ubiquitously expressed protein belonging to the immunophilin family that has intrinsic peptidyl-prolyl-()-isomerase enzymatic activity. In addition to mediating the immunosuppressive effects of the drug cyclosporine A, CyPA is involved in multiple cellular processes such as protein folding, intracellular trafficking, signal transduction, and transcriptional regulation. Because CyPA is also a molecular chaperone, its expression is induced by several stressor agents and is a highly abundant protein in cancer cells. In this study, it is demonstrated that in several cell types and at least in murine liver, a significant pool of this immunophilin is primarily an intramitochondrial factor that migrates to the nucleus upon the onset of stress. It is also shown that CyPA has antiapoptotic action. Importantly, the capability of CyPA to form complexes with the small acidic cochaperone p23 is proven, this interaction being independent of the usual association of p23 with the heat-shock protein of 90-kDa, Hsp90. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the CyPA•p23 complex enhances the antiapoptotic response of the cell, suggesting that both proteins form a functional unit whose high level of expression plays a significant role in cell survival.