title: A Review on Structures and Functions of Bcl-2 Family Proteins from Homo sapiens.
abstract: Cancer cells evade apoptosis, which is regulated by proteins of Bcl-2 family in the intrinsic pathways. Numerous experimental three-dimensional (3D) structures of the apoptotic proteins and the proteins bound with small chemical molecules/peptides/proteins have been reported in the literature. In this review article, the 3D structures of the Bcl-2 family proteins from Homo sapiens and as well complex structures of the anti-apoptotic proteins bound with small molecular inhibitors reported in the literature to date have been comprehensively listed out and described in detail. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms by which the Bcl-2 family proteins modulate the apoptotic processes and strategies for designing antagonists to anti-apoptotic proteins have been concisely discussed.
authors.forename: Dakshinamurthy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sivakumar
authors.affiliation: Structural Biology Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, School of Chemical and Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Thanjavur - 613401, Tamil Nadu, India. sivaram@scbt.sastra.edu.
authors.forename: Thirunavukkarasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sivaraman
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2