Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (Bcl-2)
33,771 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Focal ischemia in the parietal cortex of the rat results in massive neuronal death in the infarct zone and penumbra between 12 hours and 6 days after photothrombosis. To examine a possible role of Bcl-2 family proteins in this process of cell death, we investigated their expression by immunoblot assays and immunocytochemistry, and correlated expression patterns with TUNEL as well as morphological signs indicative of apoptosis. In the center of the lesion Bax immunostaining was increased in many degenerating neurons between 4 hours and 3 days after the induction of photothrombosis. At all time points examined, Bcl-2 and Bcl-X protein levels were markedly reduced in injured neurons as compared to the unlesioned side. At the border of the ischemic lesion, two areas were distinguished: 1 - 2 days after induction of photothrombosis, pyknotic cells located immediately adjacent to the lesion core displayed nuclear Bcl-X and Bax immunoreactivity. In contrast, large, morphologically intact neurons located more towards the healthy brain parenchyma displayed an increase in cytoplasmic Bcl-2 and Bcl-X proteins. Double staining for each of the Bcl-2 family proteins and TUNEL revealed that DNA strand breaks and nuclear fragmentation seen in cells located in the lesion core were often associated with increased levels of Bax, but not with elevated Bcl-2 or Bcl-X protein levels, suggesting a role for Bax in the induction of apoptotic death in these cells. The upregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X expression in surviving neurons close to the penumbra might reflect an active survival mechanism that protects these neurons from cell death following a sublethal insult.
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PMID:Differential regulation of Bax, Bcl-2, and Bcl-X proteins in focal cortical ischemia in the rat. 945 66

Several genes have been implicated in the regulation of apoptosis including bcl-2, bax, bcl-X and p53. These genes may be important in the development of nitrogen mustard (NM) drug resistance in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Using Western blot analysis, we examined the levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Bcl-X and p53 protein expression and determined whether the levels of these proteins correlated with in vitro drug resistance in CLL patients' lymphocyte samples. Our investigations suggest that in CLL, NM drug resistance develops without any detectable alteration of Bcl-2, Bax or Bcl-X. In addition, we determined the presence of p53 mutations in 14 samples in order to assess if there is an association between in vitro drug resistance and the presence of p53 mutations. Using single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing analysis, we observed a p53 mutation in two out of seven resistant samples. The mutation occurring in both cases was a G:C --> A:T transition at codon 273 (exon 8). One of these cases was de novo resistant to the nitrogen mustards. Only one of six samples with acquired resistance to the nitrogen mustards had a p53 mutation suggesting that p53 mutations are not a prominent feature of acquired NM resistance in CLL.
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PMID:Relationship between nitrogen mustard drug resistance in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and protein expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Bcl-X and p53. 945 75

Aging is associated with lymphopenia and progressive decline in T cell functions; however, the mechanisms underlying these defects are unclear. We analyzed the expression of genes promoting apoptosis (fas/fasL1 and bax) and those inhibiting apoptosis (bcl-2 and bcl-xL) in lymphocytes from aging and young subjects at the protein level, using flow cytometry/Western blotting, and at the mRNA level, using quantitative PCR. Susceptibility of T cell subsets to undergo anti-Fas-induced apoptosis was analyzed by propidium iodide staining, TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling) assay, DNA fragmentation assay, and staining with Hoechst 33342 dye. An increased expression of Fas and Fas ligand and a decreased expression of Bcl-2 were observed in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from aging as compared with young controls. Increased Fas and decreased Bcl-2 expression were also found in memory cells of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets from aging. Bax expression was increased in lymphocytes from aging at both the protein and mRNA level. No significant difference was observed in Bcl-xL expression between aging and young; however, the ratio of Bax:Bcl-xL was increased in aging. An increased proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets from aging underwent apoptosis following anti-Fas Ab treatment as compared with CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets from young controls. These data suggest that increased apoptosis may be one of the mechanisms responsible for lymphopenia and T cell deficiency associated with human aging.
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PMID:Increased apoptosis of T cell subsets in aging humans: altered expression of Fas (CD95), Fas ligand, Bcl-2, and Bax. 946 19

The expression of several apoptosis-regulating genes was evaluated in 9 human breast cancer cell lines, 2 immortalized human mammary epithelial lines, 1 normal breast tissue biopsy, and 3 primary breast tumors, using a multiple antigen detection (MAD) immunoblotting method. The anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), Mcl-1, and BAG-1 were present at immunodetectable levels in 7, 10, 10, and 9 of the 11 lines. Comparing these 11 cell lines among themselves revealed that steady-state levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), Mcl-1, and BAG-1 were present at relatively higher levels in 4, 6, 5, and 5 of the lines, respectively. In contrast, the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak were detected in all 11 cell lines, and were present at relatively higher levels in 10 and 5 of the 11 lines, respectively. The Interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) homolog CPP32 (Caspase-3) was expressed in 10/11 breast cell lines. High levels of p53 protein, indicative of mutant p53, were found in 8 of the 11 lines and correlated inversely with Bax expression (p = 0.01). Bcl-2 and BAG-1 protein levels were positively correlated (p = 0.03). Immunoblot analysis of primary adenocarcinomas revealed expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), Mcl-1, and BAG-1, as well as the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bak, and CPP32, in at least 2 of the 3 tumors examined. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed for all of these proteins using 20 paraffin-embedded breast cancer biopsy specimens that all contained residual normal mammary epithelium in combination with both invasive cancer and carcinoma in situ. All of these apoptosis-regulating proteins were detected in primary breast cancers, though the percentage of immunopositive tumor cells varied widely in some cases. Comparisons of the intensity of immunostaining in normal mammary epithelium and invasive carcinoma suggested that Bcl-2 immunointensity tends to be lower in cancers than normal breast epithelium (p = 0.03), whereas CPP32 immunointensity was generally higher in invasive cancers (p < 0.0001). Taken together, the results demonstrate expression of multiple apoptosis-modulating proteins in breast cancer cell lines and primary tumors, suggesting complexity in the regulation of apoptosis in these neoplasms of mammary epithelial origin.
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PMID:Expression of multiple apoptosis-regulatory genes in human breast cancer cell lines and primary tumors. 949 1

In several different cell lines, Bcl-2 prevents the induction of apoptosis (DNA fragmentation, PARP cleavage, phosphatidylserine exposure) by the pro-oxidant ter-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP) but has no cytoprotective effect when apoptosis is induced by the thiol crosslinking agent diazenedicarboxylic acid his 5N,N-dimethylamide (diamide). Both t-BHP and diamide cause a disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential delta psi(m) that is not inhibited by the broad spectrum caspase inhibitor z-VAD.fmk, although z-VAD.fmk does prevent nuclear DNA fragmentation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage in these models. Bcl-2 stabilizes the delta psi(m) of t-BHP-treated cells but has no inhibitory effect on the delta psi(m) collapse induced by diamide. As compared to normal controls, isolated mitochondria from Bcl-2 overexpressing cells are relatively resistant to the induction of delta psi(m) disruption by t-BHP in vitro. Such Bcl-2 overexpressing mitochondria also fail to release apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cytochrome c from the intermembrane space, whereas control mitochondria not overexpressing Bcl-2 do liberate AIF and cytochrome c in response to t-BHP. In contrast, Bcl-2 does not confer protection against diamide-triggered delta psi(m) collapse and the release of AIF and cytochrome c. This indicates that Bcl-2 suppresses the permeability transition (PT) and the associated release of intermembrane proteins induced by t-BHP but not by diamide. To further investigate the mode of action of Bcl-2, semi-purified PT pore complexes were reconstituted in liposomes in a cell-free, organelle-free system. Recombinant Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L) proteins augment the resistance of reconstituted PT pore complexes to pore opening induced by t-BHP. In contrast, mutated Bcl-2 proteins which have lost their cytoprotective potential also lose their PT-modulatory capacity. Again, Bcl-2 fails to confer protection against diamide in this experimental system. The reconstituted PT pore complex itself cannot release cytochrome c encapsulated into liposomes. Altogether these data suggest that pro-oxidants, thiol-reactive agents, and Bcl-2 can regulate the PT pore complex in a direct fashion, independently from their effects on cytochrome c. Furthermore, our results suggest a strategy for inducing apoptosis in cells overexpressing apoptosis-inhibitory Bcl-2 analogs.
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PMID:The thiol crosslinking agent diamide overcomes the apoptosis-inhibitory effect of Bcl-2 by enforcing mitochondrial permeability transition. 951 79

We examined the CD8+ T cell response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in mice doubly transgenic for an LCMV-specific TCR and for either bcl-xL or bcl-2. Clonal down-sizing of the anti-viral CD8+ T cell response and the generation of T cell memory was not influenced by constitutive expression of these anti-apoptotic proteins in T cells. Expression of Bcl-xL or Bcl-2 did, however, prevent LCMV peptide-induced peripheral deletion of mature CD8+ T cells in vivo and apoptosis of activated LCMV-specific effector T cells in vitro. The CD8+ T cells "rescued" by Bcl-xL or Bcl-2 from peptide antigen-induced cell death were anergic and this could not be reversed by addition of IL-2 in vitro or by adoptive transfer into antigen-free recipient mice followed by LCMV infection in vivo. Taken together, we show here that 1) Bcl-xL or Bcl-2 are functionally equivalent in their ability to modulate CD8+ T cell survival in vivo, 2) distinct apoptosis signaling pathways exist in CD8+ T cells, one that can be inhibited by Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL and one that cannot be blocked, and 3) apoptosis of CD8+ effector T cells during the declining phase of an immune response is not prevented by constitutive expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-xL and Bcl-2.
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PMID:Constitutive expression of Bcl-xL or Bcl-2 prevents peptide antigen-induced T cell deletion but does not influence T cell homeostasis after a viral infection. 952 Oct 66

Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) transforms human T cells to stable growth in vitro. Since HVS codes for two different antiapoptotic proteins, growth transformation by HVS might be expected to confer resistance to apoptosis. We found that the expression of both viral antiapoptotic genes was restricted to cultures with viral replication and absent in growth-transformed human T cells. A comparative examination of HVS-transformed T-cell clones and their native parental clones revealed that the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), Bax, and members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) superfamily with a death domain, namely, TNF-RI, CD95, and TRAMP, were not modulated by HVS. Expression of CD30 was induced in HVS-transformed T cells, and these cells also expressed the CD30 ligand. Uninfected and transformed T cells were sensitive to CD95 ligation but resistant to apoptosis mediated by TRAIL or soluble TNF-alpha. CD95 ligand was constitutively expressed on transformed but not uninfected parental T cells. Both cell types showed similar sensitivity to cell death induction or inhibition of T-cell activation mediated by irradiation, oxygen radicals, dexamethasone, cyclosporine, and prostaglandin E2. Altogether, this study strongly suggests that growth transformation by HVS is based not on resistance to apoptosis but, rather, on utilization of normal cellular activation pathways.
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PMID:Herpesvirus saimiri transforms human T-cell clones to stable growth without inducing resistance to apoptosis. 952 39

Bcl-X, a Bcl-2-related protein, is a potent antagonist of apoptosis in its long splice variant (Bcl-X(L)). The present study was performed to determine its expression in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the esophagus, its correlation with other members of the Bcl-2 family, and its impact on the outcome of surgically treated esophageal cancer patients. Samples of normal esophageal squamous epithelium (n = 10), severe squamous cell dysplasias (n = 19), carcinomas in situ (n = 14), invasive squamous cell carcinomas (n = 172), and lymph node metastases (n = 21) were immunohistochemically analyzed for Bcl-X(L) expression using a polyclonal anti-Bcl-X(L) antibody. The immunostaining was evaluated according to a score system (0-12 points) based on the percentage of positive tumor cells and the relative immunostaining intensity. Cytoplasmic staining for Bcl-X(L) protein was invariably found in all cell layers of the normal esophageal squamous epithelium. In contrast, a considerable portion of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions display a decreased Bcl-X(L) expression as compared with that in the normal esophageal epithelium. On comparison of the amount of Bcl-X(L) expression between the different types of lesions, however, no significant differences were found between severe squamous cell dysplasias (mean immunoreactive score +/- SD, 5.2 +/- 1.8), carcinomas in situ (5.2 +/- 2.2), invasive carcinomas (4.5 +/- 2.8), and lymph node metastases (4.2 +/- 2.6). In invasive carcinomas, Bcl-X(L) expression decreased continuously with decreasing tumor differentiation (P = 0.0001) and was also directly correlated with bcl-2-associated X protein expression (P = 0.0001). On the contrary, an inverse correlation was found between Bcl-X(L) expression and Bcl-2 protein expression (P = 0.0001). No correlation was found between Bcl-X(L) expression and the parameters pT category, pN category, and tumor size. In the univariate survival analysis, patients with low immunoreactive scores (< or = 4) of Bcl-X(L) expression in the tumor tissue showed lower 2-year and 5-year survival rates than patients with high immunoreactive scores (> 4; P = 0.0485). In multivariate survival analysis, however, only the parameters pN category and pT category, but not Bcl-X(L) expression, could be verified as independent prognostic factors. This tendency of decreasing levels of an antiapoptotic protein toward unfavorable outcome is supported by an increasing number of studies on the role of Bcl-2, another antiapoptotic protein, and must be interpreted against the backdrop of apoptosis as a result of the interaction of many cell death-promoting and protecting proteins.
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PMID:Expression of Bcl-X(L), an antiapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. 953 24

After lactation, there is a massive loss of pituitary lactotrophs. The aim of this study was to investigate the events and mechanisms involved in the remodeling of the anterior pituitary after termination of lactation. Animals were analyzed at day 7 of lactation and at 4 and 7 days after pup removal. Field-inversion gel electrophoresis was used to detect high-molecular-weight DNA fragments, a characteristic feature of apoptosis. Bax and Bcl-2, proteins involved in regulation of cell survival, were studied by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. In addition, the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), and p53 messenger RNA (mRNA) was analyzed by in situ hybridization. Four days after termination of lactation, a peak in high-molecular-weight DNA fragments and an increase in Bax, along with a decrease in Bcl-2 proteins, were observed, in comparison with lactation and with 7 days post lactation. The mRNAs for Bax and p53 also were increased, whereas no changes were detected in Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) mRNA levels. In summary, these findings indicate that the cell remodeling of the anterior pituitary, after the termination of lactation, occurs through the process of apoptosis and involves changes in Bax, Bcl-2, and p53.
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PMID:Termination of lactation induces apoptosis and alters the expression of the Bcl-2 family members in the rat anterior pituitary. 956 59

The Bcl-2 homologue, Bak, is a potent inducer of apoptosis. FISH data presented here located the gene to 6p21.3. Mapping was consistent with its location centromeric of the HSET locus and approximately 400kb from the MHC. The construction of a contig of genomic clones across the locus facilitated the sequencing of a PAC containing the gene. Comparison of the gene structure to functional and physical domains revealed a good agreement between the physical structure and the intron-exon organisation. The position of a single intron was conserved in comparison to other members of the Bcl-2 family, namely Bax, CED-9, Bcl-X and Bcl-2, but all other introns were displaced, consistent with a divergent phylogeny.
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PMID:Genomic structure and domain organisation of the human Bak gene. 957 42


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