BCL-2, a novel regulator of apoptosis

✍ Scribed by Julie R. Park; David M. Hockenbery

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 573 KB
• Volume: 60
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0730-2312
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4644(19960101)60:1<12::aid-jcb3>3.0.co;2-6

✦ Synopsis

The bcl-2 gene has a unique function among mammalian oncogenes as a negative regulator of apoptosis. Its expression pattern in embryonic and adult tissues is consistent with a role in maintaining in vivo survival of specific cell types.

The biochemical function of bcl-2 is unknown, but its localization to mitochondria1 and microsomal membranes suggests several possibilities. bcl-2 is protective against oxidative stress in mammalian cells and can be replaced by antioxidants in a factor-deprivation model of apoptosis. These results are consistent with a model of apoptotic death involving oxidative stress in a central pathway.

The recent discovery of several bcl-2-related genes, some of which also inhibit apoptosis and others that unexpectedly promote apoptosis, has shed new light on several aspects of bcl-2 action.