FKBP5
Encyclopedia
FK506 binding protein 5, also known as FKBP5, is a protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 which in humans is encoded by the FKBP5 gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the immunophilin protein family
Immunophilins
In molecular biology, immunophilins are endogenous cytosolic peptidyl-prolyl isomerases that interconvert between the cis and trans positions.Immunophilins are targeted by immunosuppressive drugs such as rapamycin, ciclosporin, and tacrolimus...

, which play a role in immunoregulation and basic cellular processes involving protein folding and trafficking. This encoded protein is a cis-trans prolyl isomerase that binds to the immunosuppressants FK506 and rapamycin. It is thought to mediate calcineurin inhibition. It also interacts functionally with mature corticoid receptor hetero-complexes (i.e. progesterone-, glucocorticoid-, mineralcorticoid-receptor complexes) along with the 90 kDa heat shock protein and P23 protein.

Clinical significance

Genetic studies have identified a role for FKBP5 in posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...

. For example, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FKBP5 have been found to interact with childhood trauma to predict severity of adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These findings suggest that individuals with these SNPs who are abused as children are more susceptible to PTSD as adults. FKBP5 has also been found to be less expressed
Gene expression
Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product. These products are often proteins, but in non-protein coding genes such as ribosomal RNA , transfer RNA or small nuclear RNA genes, the product is a functional RNA...

 in individuals with current PTSD. The FKBP5 gene has been found to have multiple polyadenylation
Polyadenylation
Polyadenylation is the addition of a poly tail to an RNA molecule. The poly tail consists of multiple adenosine monophosphates; in other words, it is a stretch of RNA that has only adenine bases. In eukaryotes, polyadenylation is part of the process that produces mature messenger RNA for translation...

 sites and is statistically associated with a higher rate of depressive disorders.

Interactions

FKBP5 has been shown to interact
Protein-protein interaction
Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with Heat shock protein 90kDa alpha (cytosolic), member A1.

Further reading

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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