title: Protein oligomerization mediated by the transmembrane carboxyl terminal domain of Bcl-XL.
abstract: Bcl-XL is a pro-survival member of the Bcl-2 family that can be found in the outer mitochondrial membrane and in soluble cytosolic homodimers. Bcl-XL can bind pro-apoptotic members of this family preventing them from activating the execution phase of apoptosis. Bcl-XL has been shown to homodimerize in different ways, although most binding and structural assays have been carried out in the absence of its carboxyl terminal transmembrane domain. We show here that this domain can by itself direct protein oligomerization, which could be related to its previously reported role in mitochondrial morphology alterations and apoptosis inhibition.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems, Edificio I+D, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Angélica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ospina
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lagunas-Martínez
authors.forename: Julián
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pardo
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carrodeguas
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001665:Binding Sites; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D050988:Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051020:bcl-X Protein / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C402222:MTCH1 protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D050988:Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 2; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein