Expression of pro-apoptotic Bfk isoforms reduces during malignant transformation in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Reduced expression of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins has been described in many gastrointestinal cancers, and may play a role in tumourigenesis. The human homologue of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, Bfk, is predominantly expressed in tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. In colon, four alternatively spliced isoforms were identified; of which two are pro-apoptotic when overexpressed. In the transition from normal tissue to tumour, pro-apoptotic Bfk isoform expression is substantially reduced in up to 80% of tumours isolated from the human gastrointestinal tract (8/10 colonic tumours and 26/37 of all gastrointestinal tumours) compared to 3/117 tumours from outside the gastrointestinal tract. These data suggest that pro-apoptotic isoforms of Bfk may help to protect against the development of human gastrointestinal malignancy.
Dempsey
Clare E
CE
Academic Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Division of Genomic Medicine, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2JF, United Kingdom.
Dive
Caroline
C
Fletcher
Daniel J
DJ
Barnes
Frances A
FA
Lobo
Alan
A
Bingle
Colin D
CD
Whyte
Moira K B
MK
Renshaw
Stephen A
SA
D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017209:Apoptosis; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
C481505:BCL2L15 protein, human; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger