title: Functions of the C-terminal domains of apoptosis-related proteins of the Bcl-2 family.
abstract: Bcl-2 family proteins are involved in cell homeostasis, where they regulate cell death. Some of these proteins are pro-apoptotic and others pro-survival. Moreover, many of them share a similar domain composition with several of the so-called BH domains, although some only have a BH3 domain. A C-terminal domain is present in all the multi-BH domain proteins and in some of the BH3-only ones. This C-terminal domain is hydrophobic or amphipathic, for which reason it was thought when they were discovered that they were membrane anchors. Although this is indeed one of their functions, it has since been observed that they may also serve as regulators of the function of some members of this family, such as Bax. They may also serve to recognize the target membrane of some of these proteins, which only after an apoptotic signal, are incorporated into a membrane. It has been shown that peptides that imitate the sequence of C-terminal domains can form pores and may serve as a model to design cytotoxic molecules.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular-A, Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, E-30080 Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: jcgomez@um.es.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gómez-Fernández
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D011485:Protein Binding; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2