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Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (Bcl-2)
 33,771 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have isolated a 2228 bp cDNA clone encoding a chicken homologue of the human Bcl-2 oncoprotein by low-stringency hybridization screening of a lambda gt10 cDNA library derived from a chicken B-cell lymphoma. DNA sequence analysis of this cDNA revealed an open reading frame predicting a polypeptide of 232 amino acids and an M(r) of 25,839. The predicted protein is highly homologous to the human (73%) and mouse (70%) Bcl-2 proteins, and contains a hydrophobic stretch of amino acids within its carboxyl-end (213-229) consistent with an integral membrane protein. Areas of very high sequence homology shared by all three Bcl-2 proteins at the NH2-terminus (amino acids 1-33) and within the last 150 amino acids of these proteins suggest the presence of at least two evolutionarily conserved domains within the family of Bcl-2 proteins that may be important either for their targeting to mitochondria or their ability to block programmed cell death.
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PMID:Molecular cloning and DNA sequence analysis of cDNA encoding chicken homologue of the Bcl-2 oncoprotein. 151 Oct 8

A comparison between cytogenetic and molecular results of t(14;18) has been performed in 12 patients with follicular lymphomas: five nodular and seven diffuse. Ten cases showed cytogenetic alterations with different markers, including a 14q+ in eight: in four it was the result of a t(14;18). Molecular analysis by Southern blotting with bcl2 probes from major and minor cluster regions, and PCR with primers from major and minor regions showed differences versus the cytogenetic results. The correlation found between cytogenetic and molecular results suggests other factors, such as geographical differences or different pathogenetic mechanisms, more than methodologic aspects, to explain the different frequencies of this marker among countries.
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PMID:Correlation between cytogenetic and molecular analysis of t(14;18) in follicular lymphomas. 155 94

The last decade has seen major advances in the acquisition of knowledge concerning both the cellular and molecular genetics of multiple myeloma. Although discrete and specific changes associated with the plasma cell disorders have yet to be identified, a pattern is emerging that one can associate with the plasma cell disorders. This pattern includes the frequent involvement of chromosomes 1 and 14, and in particular presence of the 14q+ abnormality. But in addition there are typically many other numeric and/or structural changes that can, in fact, involve almost any chromosome, but particularly chromosomes 3, 5, 6, and 7, as well as 11, 14, 17, and 18. The presence of one or more unidentified marker chromosomes is also a typical feature. The ongoing challenges include identification of a crucial initial genetic change (if such exists) as well as the factors contributing to the ongoing karyotypic evaluation that results in complex karyotypes in patients with advanced disease. There is no doubt that the complex karyotypic picture contributes to the major heterogeneity of plasma cells that occurs in malignant plasma cell disorders. Karyotypic complexity underlies heterogeneity in cell morphology, surface antigen expression, response to cytokines, and a variety of other functional characteristics. The aberrant expression of antigens normally found on other hematopoietic progenitors has led to speculation about the true nature of the stem cell in myeloma. The overriding challenge, however, is to fully understand the plasma cell disorders at the molecular level. Although changes have already been noted in the functions of C-myc, the ras family of oncogenes, Bcl-2 expression, and several so called anti-oncogenes such as p53, it is likely that we have only begun to scratch the surface in the area of molecular changes. The potential for involvement at multiple molecular sites and the possibility of complex interactions between gene segments is truly overwhelming. However, it is hoped that at the molecular level a pattern will ultimately emerge. It is most interesting, as previously discussed, that there is an interplay among C-myc, N-ras, Bcl-2, and the Epstein-Barr virus in the predilection for a plasma cell phenotype. Undoubtedly there is much more to learn, and it is truly exciting to finally have some tools and probes at hand to more effectively study the genome in multiple myeloma and related disorders.
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PMID:Cellular and molecular genetic features of myeloma and related disorders. 158 85

Chromosomal translocation within B and T cell malignancies has proven a rich source for proto-oncogenes. The obligate DNA breaks within immunoglobulin (Ig) and T cell receptor (TCR) loci are frequently the sites of recurrent translocations. Burkitt's lymphoma established the paradigm by introducing the myc oncogene from chromosome segment 8q24 into the Ig heavy chain gene locus at 14q32. Molecular cloning of an aberrant Ig rearrangement in follicular lymphoma revealed Bcl-2. Bcl-2 constitutes the first member of a new category of oncogenes: regulators of programmed cell death. Bcl-2 blocks apoptosis and maintains long-term immune responsiveness including B-cell memory. The PRAD1 gene of parathyroid adenomas appears to be the elusive Bcl-1 gene of t(11;14)(q13;q32) bearing lymphomas. It proves to be a novel G1 cyclin. Acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) pre-B phenotype produce a E2A/PBX fusion protein that possesses the leucine zipper of E2A with the homeodomain of PBX. Two molecular forms of the BCR/ABL fusion protein are produced by the Philadelphia chromosome. A deregulated p210 tyrosine kinase is found in chronic myelogenous leukemia, while a p190 form predominates in Ph+ ALL. In contrast, T-cell ALLs introduce a potpourri of genes into their T cell receptor loci. However, a common theme is emerging. These oncogenes (Ttg1, Ttg2, SCL, LylI, H0X11) all belong to classic families of transcription factors, possessing LIM domains, helix-loop-helix motifs, or homeodomains. Provocatively, these transcription factors are normally intended for lineages other than T cells. These genes have widened the horizons of both oncogenesis and normal development.
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PMID:Chromosomal translocations in lymphoid malignancies reveal novel proto-oncogenes. 159 Oct 3

The germinal center forms a specialized microenvironment that is thought to play a key role in the induction of antibody synthesis, affinity maturation of B cells, isotype switching, and memory B-cell formation. Moreover, the germinal center may also be involved in the maintenance of T-cell memory. In this paper we focus on the role of adhesion receptors in cellular interactions in the germinal center, and discuss evidence indicating that these molecules play an important role in regulating B-cell activation and differentiation. Furthermore, we discuss two important diseases involving the germinal center, i.e., HIV infection and malignant lymphoma. In HIV infection, destruction of the FDC network may explain the selective loss of memory cells observed in otherwise asymptomatic patients and is likely to represent a major pathway leading to AIDS. In follicular lymphoma, escape from physiological apoptosis in the germinal center by overexpression of Bcl-2 appears be a major pathogenetic pathway.
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PMID:Cellular interactions in the germinal center: role of adhesion receptors and significance for the pathogenesis of AIDS and malignant lymphoma. 159 19

A cluster (D1Lub1) of a long-range repeat family was mapped to the proximal part of the Giemsa-negative band D in Chromosome 1 of Mus musculus and M. spretus by in situ hybridization with cloned probes of the long-range repeat family. By making use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms in DNAs from interspecific backcross mice, the cluster could be mapped to a position 5.3 +/- 2.1 cM distal to the Inha locus and the same distance proximal to the Bcl-2 locus. D1Lub1 was inseparable in 114 meiotic events from Acrg, Sag, and Akp-3. Taken together, the data may serve as a reference for coordinating the genetic and cytogenetic maps of Mus Chromosome 1. High-copy-number variants of the cluster, which appear cytogenetically as homogeneously staining regions at the same chromosome location, presumably arose by amplification of the long-range repeat family in situ.
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PMID:Genetic mapping and assignment of a long-range repeat cluster to band D of chromosome 1 in Mus musculus and M. spretus. 161 11

Correlations between cytogenetics, histology, and clinical course continue to emerge in studies of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The previously recognized association between the t(14;18) chromosomal translocation and follicular lymphoma has been confirmed; abnormalities of chromosome 3 have correlated specifically with diffuse large cell lymphoma and abnormalities of chromosome 1 have been frequently present in T-cell lymphomas. Rearrangements involving 11q13 (bcl-1) occur most commonly in diffuse lymphocytic lymphoma of intermediate differentiation. Several new recurrent chromosomal abnormalities have also been described. The molecular fine structure of the t(8-14) chromosomal translocation in Burkitt's lymphoma appears to differ between endemic (Epstein-Barr virus-associated) and sporadic cases. In endemic Burkitt's lymphomas, the chromosomal breakpoint is usually far upstream of c-myc oncogene, leaving the regulatory region of the gene intact. In sporadic tumors, a large part of the regulatory region is separated from the gene and transcription is initiated at sites within the first intron. These data raise the possibility that Epstein-Barr virus may contribute to the deregulation of the c-myc gene and that this interaction may be required for tumorigenesis in the presence of some, but not all, types of c-myc damage arising from chromosomal translocations. Partner proteins that oligomerize with c-Myc have been identified in humans and mice (Max and Myn). The partners share with c-Myc the DNA-binding and coiled-coil motifs that are recognized in many other proteins and that function as transcriptional regulators. The Bcl-2 protein has been shown to be a mitochondrial inner membrane protein that blocks programmed cell death (apoptosis). Viral expression has been demonstrated in Epstein-Barr virus-associated Hodgkin's disease, and the spectrum of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disease has been expanded to include some T-cell malignancies. A new human herpesvirus has been associated with some cases of Hodgkin's disease.
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PMID:Biology of the lymphomas: cytogenetics, molecular biology, and virology. 166 Nov 67

The bcl2 protooncogene was originally discovered because of its involvement in t(14;18) chromosomal translocations frequently found in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The expression of this gene is reported to be highly tissue specific, with bcl2 mRNAs being readily detectable only in hematolymphoid tissues and brain. To explore the possible involvement of bcl2 in neural tumors, we surveyed a variety of tumor cell lines for the presence of the p26-BCL2 protein by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting methods. Very high levels of BCL2 protein were found in three of nine neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines examined; these levels of p26-BCL2 were comparable to lymphoma cell lines that contain a t(14;18). Despite the impressive relative amounts of BCL2 protein, however, no structural alterations or changes in the methylation status of bcl2 genes were detected in these NB cell lines by conventional Southern blotting. Of the other NB cell lines surveyed, three contained intermediate levels of BCL2 and another three cell lines had little or no detectable BCL2 protein, raising the possibility that determination of relative levels of BCL2 protein may help to segregate neuroblastomas into groups with different biological and clinical characteristics. BCL2 protein levels were not influenced by induction of neuronal differentiation with nerve growth factor in two of the two cell lines examined [SH-SY5Y (high BCL2); GICAN (low BCL2)] and did not correlate with N-MYC gene amplification or expression of nerve growth factor receptors. NB cell lines that contained little or no detectable BCL2 protein, however, tended to contain significant proportions of flat epithelioid cells, whereas bcl2-expressing cell lines were composed primarily of neuronal-like cells, suggesting that expression of this protooncogene correlates with the differentiation characteristics of these tumor cell lines. In addition to NBs, lower levels of BCL2 protein were also found in a variety of other neural crest-derived tumors and tumor cell lines, including some neuroepitheliomas, Ewing's sarcomas, neurofibromas, and melanomas. With regard to tumors of central nervous system origin, bcl2 expression was absent from most medulloblastomas but was detected at moderate to low levels in a retinoblastoma and some glioblastoma multiforme cell lines. Taken together, these findings imply that bcl2 protooncogene expression is differentially regulated within the various lineages of cells that give rise to the nervous system.
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PMID:Differential expression of bcl2 protooncogene in neuroblastoma and other human tumor cell lines of neural origin. 174 26

The t(14;18) translocation, found in most human follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), juxtaposes the Bcl-2 oncogene at 18q21 with the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus at 14q32. As a result, the Bcl-2 protein is markedly overproduced. Most of the breakpoints on chromosome 18 cluster at one of two sites, the major breakpoint region (mbr) and the minor cluster region (mcr). Recently, others used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the t(14;18) mbr in 32% of specimens diagnosed as Hodgkin's disease (HD). In an attempt to confirm and extend those observations the authors used PCR to assay for both the mbr and mcr in HD specimens diagnosed at their institution and examined the specimens for Bcl-2 overproduction. The authors subjected the DNAs from 28 well-characterized HD tumors of 26 patients to PCR analyses using primers specific for the t(14;18) mbr and mcr breakpoints. Based on various PCR controls, the authors ascertained that 26 of the 28 specimens contained amplifiable template DNA. Southern blotting of the amplification products showed that none of the 26 HD DNAs had detectable t(14;18) mbr or mcr breakpoints. By admixing small amounts of t(14;18)-bearing NHL DNA with HD DNA samples, the authors directly demonstrated that the sensitivity of the PCR assays was adequate for the molecular detection of t(14;18)-bearing cells at a frequency comparable to that of Reed-Sternberg cells and their variants in HD. Immunohistochemical studies employing a highly specific anti-Bcl-2 antiserum under conditions optimized to detect t(14;18)-mediated overexpression of the Bcl-2 gene showed that the Reed-Sternberg cells and variants in all 19 HD tumors examined were negative for Bcl-2 immunostaining. In conclusion, the PCR and immunohistochemical data provided evidence that the t(14;18) translocation was not involved in the pathogenesis of the HD cases.
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PMID:Absence of t(14;18) major and minor breakpoints and of Bcl-2 protein overproduction in Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's disease. 175 May

The proto-oncogene Bcl-2 is normally expressed in B lineage cells in a stage specific manner and extends cell survival. Deregulated Bcl-2 expression has been shown to cause a major expansion in surface IgM and IgD positive B cells. In this report, the influence of deregulated expression of Bcl-2 on the VH repertoire of B cells was studied. This was accomplished by stimulating B cells from both adult and fetal Bcl-2-Ig transgenic mice and their normal littermates using the polyclonal activator lipopolysaccharide. Activated cells were then analyzed by in situ hybridization using radiolabeled C mu and VH gene probes. The D-proximal VH families 7183 and Q52 were preferentially expressed in the adult transgenic mice compared to their normal littermates. VH 7183 and Q52 were also over-represented in fetal transgenic mice but not to a greater extent than that observed with normal fetuses. These results demonstrate that the overproduction of Bcl-2, which prolongs cell survival independent of affecting proliferation, substantially alters the VH gene repertoire.
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PMID:Skewed B cell VH family repertoire in Bcl-2-Ig transgenic mice. 177 25


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