Bcl-2 family regulation of neuronal development and neurodegeneration.
Neuronal cell death is a key feature of both normal nervous system development and neuropathological conditions. The Bcl-2 family, via its regulation of both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent cell death pathways, is uniquely positioned to critically control neuronal cell survival. Targeted gene disruptions of specific bcl-2 family members and the generation of transgenic mice overexpressing anti- or pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members have confirmed the importance of the Bcl-2 family in the nervous system. Data from studies of human brain tissue and experimental animal models of neuropathological conditions support the hypothesis that the Bcl-2 family regulates cell death in the mature nervous system and suggest that pharmacological manipulation of Bcl-2 family action could prove beneficial in the treatment of human neurological conditions such as stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.
Akhtar
Rizwan S
RS
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
Ness
Jayne M
JM
Roth
Kevin A
KA
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000209:etiology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2