Rapamycin-FKBP12 blocks proliferation, induces differentiation, and inhibits cdc2 kinase activity in a myogenic cell line.

Rapamycin is a potent immunosuppressant that binds to the cytosolic protein, FKBP12, and blocks T cell activation. Here we report that rapamycin also blocks myogenic proliferation and induces differentiation, associated with a decrease in p34cdc2 activity and cyclin A levels. In yeast and mammals, rapamycin blocks cell cycle progression by causing G1 arrest, arguing for a conserved signaling pathway governing the G1 to S transition. p34cdc2 has been shown to play a role in both the transition from G1 to S and from G2 to M in yeast. In higher eukaryotes the role of p34cdc2 in G1 to S transition is less clear. Rapamycin and the structurally related macrolide antibiotic FK506 both bind to a cytosolic protein, the FK506-binding protein (FKBP12). We show that inhibition of myogenic proliferation is achieved at low doses of rapamycin (< 1 ng/ml) and is competed by a molar excess of FK506, indicating specificity for FKBP12. The distinct FK506-calcineurin pathway did not affect myogenic proliferation, differentiation, or p34cdc2 kinase activity. Thus, the rapamycin-FKBP12 signaling pathway involves a specific and direct effect on p34cdc2 kinase activity at the G1 to S transition and identifies a regulatory step during myogenic differentiation.