title: Bcl-2 targets the protein kinase Raf-1 to mitochondria.
abstract: A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Raf-1 fusion protein was used to show that Bcl-2 can target this kinase to mitochondria. Active Raf-1 fused with targeting sequences from an outer mitochondrial membrane protein protected cells from apoptosis and resulted in phosphorylation of BAD, a proapoptotic Bcl-2 homolog. Plasma membrane-targeted Raf-1 did not protect from apoptosis and resulted in phosphorylation of ERK-1 and ERK-2. Untargeted active Raf-1 improved Bcl-2-mediated resistance to apoptosis, whereas a kinase-inactive Raf-1 mutant abrogated apoptosis suppression by Bcl-2. Bcl-2 can therefore target Raf-1 to mitochondrial membranes, allowing this kinase to phosphorylate BAD or possibly other protein substrates involved in apoptosis regulation.
authors.affiliation: The Burnham Institute, Program on Apoptosis and Cell Death Research, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: U R
authors.initials: UR
authors.lastname: Rapp
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001692:Biological Transport; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D019311:Staurosporine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013347:Subcellular Fractions; D014162:Transfection; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019311:Staurosporine