As a cyclophilin, PPIB binds the immunosuppressive drug CsA to form a CsA-cyclophilin complex, which then targets
calcineurin to inhibit the signaling pathway for T-cell activation. In cardiac myogenic cells, cyclophilins have been observed to be activated by heat shock and
hypoxia-reoxygenation as well as complex with
heat shock proteins. Thus, cyclophilins may function in cardioprotection during ischemia-reperfusion injury. PPIB contributes to the replication and infection of viruses causing diseases such as
AIDS,
hepatitis C,
measles, and
influenza A. Thus, therapeutic targeting of PPIB with selective inhibitors may prove effective in combating viral infections and inflammation. Currently, PPIB is employed as a biomarker for various types of cancer. Moreover, there are two
antigenic
epitopes (CypB84-92 and CypB91-99) recognized by HLA-A24-restricted and tumor-specific
cytotoxic T lymphocytes which could be used as cancer
vaccines, and in fact, were used to treat
lung cancer in a clinical trial. == Bacterial PPIB ==