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.
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
Rizwan S
RS
Akhtar
Jayne M
JM
Ness
Kevin A
KA
Roth
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