BCL-2, a novel regulator of apoptosis.
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 mitochondrial 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.
Park
J R
JR
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104, USA.
Hockenbery
D M
DM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000235:genetics; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2