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Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (
Bcl-2
)
33,771
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Lymphoid cells and small intestinal epithelial (SIE) cells are among the most radiosensitive in the body. The factors that account for the differential sensitivity to gamma-radiation among different tissue-types remain poorly understood, but can only partly be explained by differences in rates of cell proliferation. Here we demonstrate that exposure of mice to 800 cGy of gamma-radiation results in rapid elevations in the levels of the
Bax protein
, a pro-apoptotic member of the
Bcl-2
protein family, in lymphoid cells and SIEs. gamma-Radiation-induced increase in
Bax protein
were evident within 2 h and persisted for at least 24 h, as determined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical assays. Increases in Bax were followed by massive apoptosis in lymphoid organs and in the small intestinal crypts, as determined by morphological criteria and in situ end-labeling of fragmented nuclear DNA by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TUNEL method). Radiation did not induce elevations in Bax or apoptosis in radioresistant tissues such as heart, skeletal muscle, brain, kidney, liver, lung, vascular smooth muscle and connective tissue. The findings suggest that Bax may be one of the mediators of radiation-induced apoptosis in vivo.
...
PMID:Gamma-radiation induces upregulation of Bax protein and apoptosis in radiosensitive cells in vivo. 855 90
Human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells treated with 8-chloroadenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Cl-cAMP) undergo growth arrest and subsequently die by apoptosis. We describe here the isolation of a variant of HL-60 cells, HCW-2, which was resistant to the cytotoxic effects of 8-Cl-cAMP, but still underwent growth arrest. Thus, HCW-2 cells appeared to be altered in their ability to undergo apoptosis. HCW-2 cells were also completely refractory to the apoptotic action of cycloheximide and staurosporine, two compounds which were very potent inducers of apoptosis in the parental HL-60 cells, suggesting that the resistance to apoptosis was not unique to 8-Cl-cAMP. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the parental HL-60 cells expressed both
Bcl-2
and Bax, two factors known to be intimately involved in the control of apoptosis. Surprisingly, HCW-2 cells no longer expressed
Bcl-2
protein and paradoxically contained
Bax protein
at a level that was approximately 50-fold higher than in HL-60 cells. However, Northern and Western analyses indicated that the apoptotic suppressor gene, bcl-xL, which is not expressed in the parental HL-60 cells, was expressed in HCW-2 cells. Thus, the
Bcl-2
-independent resistance of HCW-2 cells to apoptotic induction is discussed in terms of the expression of bcl-xL.
...
PMID:Isolation and characterization of an apoptosis-resistant variant of human leukemia HL-60 cells that has switched expression from Bcl-2 to Bcl-xL. 860 11
In mammalian cells, the
Bcl-2
and Bcl-x(L) proteins suppress programmed cell death whereas the topographically similar
Bax protein
accelerates the apoptotic process. Recently published data suggest that expression of the human Bax-alpha gene is lethal for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and that this toxicity can be overcome by co-expressing
Bcl-2
or Bcl-x(L). Our findings corroborate these results. However, we find that although Bax induction invariably stops cell growth under all circumstances, it does not lead to death in 'petite' cells. Petites cannot respire because they lack functional mitochondria. It seems that in 'grande' cells, which do possess normal mitochondrial DNA, nutritional limitation is critical for increased mortality. Surprisingly, murine
Bcl-2
lacking the membrane anchor of human
Bcl-2
has no effect on grande cells, but can efficiently rescue petites in rich medium. It has been suggested that the C-terminal membrane anchor of human
Bcl-2
may have a crucial role in rescuing apoptosis in mammalian cells. When murine
Bcl-2
is fused to the membrane anchor of yeast mitochondrial Mas70 protein, the
Bcl-2
variant mBcl-2-mma rescues not only petites but also grandes, just like human Bcl-x(L). The rescuing ability of Bcl-x(L), which contains its own membrane anchor, surpasses that of mBcl-2-mma. Our results indicate that the process involving Bax-induced growth inhibition followed by possible lethality, and the rescuing effect of
Bcl-2
and Bcl-x(L) is linked to yeast mitochondrial function. We propose a model which is consistent with these observations.
...
PMID:Role of mitochondria and C-terminal membrane anchor of Bcl-2 in Bax induced growth arrest and mortality in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 860 30
Most members of the
Bcl-2
protein family of apoptosis regulating proteins contain two evolutionarily conserved domains, termed BH1 and BH2. Both BH1 and BH2 in the
Bcl-2
protein are required for its function as an inhibitor of cell death and for heterodimerization with the proapoptotic protein Bax. In this report, we mapped the region in Bax required for heterodimerization with
Bcl-2
and homodimerization with Bax, using yeast two-hybrid and in vitro protein-protein interaction assays. Neither the BH1 nor the BH2 domain of Bax was required for binding to the wild-type
Bcl-2
and Bax proteins. Moreover, Bax (deltaBH1) and Bax (deltaBH2) mutant proteins bound efficiently to themselves and each other, further confirming the lack of requirement for BH1 and BH2 for Bax/Bax homodimerization. Bax/Bax homodimerization was not dependent on the inclusion of the NH2-terminal 58 amino acids of the
Bax protein
in each dimerization partner, unlike
Bcl-2
/
Bcl-2
homodimers which involve head-to-tail interactions between the region of
Bcl-2
where BH1 and BH2 resides, and an NH2-terminal domain in
Bcl-2
that contains another domain BH4 which is conserved among antiapoptotic members of the
Bcl-2
family. Similarly, heterodimerization with
Bcl-2
occurred without the NH2-terminal domain of either Bax or
Bcl-2
, suggesting a tail-to-tail interaction. The essential region in Bax required for both homodimerization with Bax and heterodimerization with
Bcl-2
was mapped to residues 59-101. This region in Bax contains a stretch of 15 amino acids that is highly homologous in several members of the
Bcl-2
protein family, suggesting the existence of a novel functional domain which we have termed BH3. Deletion of this 15-amino acid region abolished the ability of Bax to dimerize with itself and to heterodimerize with
Bcl-2
. The findings suggest that the structural features of Bax and
Bcl-2
that allow them to participate in homo-and heterodimerization phenomena are markedly different, despite their amino-acid sequence similarity.
...
PMID:Proapoptotic protein Bax heterodimerizes with Bcl-2 and homodimerizes with Bax via a novel domain (BH3) distinct from BH1 and BH2. 863 71
The observation that delayed death of CA1 neurons after global ischemia is inhibited by protein synthesis inhibitors suggests that the delayed death of these neurons is an active process that requires new gene expression. Delayed death in CA1 has some of the characteristics of apoptotic death; however, candidate proapoptotic proteins have not been identified in the CA1 after ischemia. We studied the expression of
Bax protein
and mRNA, a member of the bcl-2 family that is an effector of apoptotic cell death, after global ischemia in the four-vessel global ischemia model in the rat and compared these results with the expression of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2. Bax mRNA and protein are both expressed in CA1 before delayed death, whereas bcl-2 protein is not expressed.
Bcl-2
protein expression, but not that of Bax, is increased in CA3, a region that is ischemic but less susceptible to ischemic injury. In the dentate gyrus, both Bax and bcl-2 proteins are expressed. The selective expression of Bax in Ca1 supports the hypothesis that Bax could contribute to delayed neuronal death in these vulnerable neurons by an independent mechanism or by forming heterodimers with gene family members other than bcl-2.
...
PMID:Expression of the apoptosis-effector gene, Bax, is up-regulated in vulnerable hippocampal CA1 neurons following global ischemia. 866 27
Human leukemia U-937/WT cells were exposed to stepwise increased concentrations of Vincristine so that Vincristine-resistant cell sublines (termed U-937/RV) were developed. Established U-937/RV cell sublines have continuously propagated over a year, both in absence and presence of VCR, and have demonstrated similar features. In contrast to U-937/WT cells, U-937/RV cells have longer doubling time, and are more differentiated as determined by appearance of distinct morphological features and synthesis of mRNA that codes for the monocyte colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (c-fms). Both apoptosis-suppressing
Bcl-2
and Bcl-XL proteins were undectable in U-937/WT cells, whereas
Bcl-2
was nearly detectable and Bcl-XL readily detectable in U-937/RV cells. The apoptosis-promoting
Bax protein
was also absent in U-937/WT cells and readily detected in U-937/RV cells. Vincristine-resistant cells with different levels of resistance synthesize similar levels of c-fms mRNA and
Bax protein
. Finally, unlike U-937/WT cells, U-937/RV cells have no ability to induce tumors when xenografted in immunodeficient mice. The findings collectively suggest that development of resistance to Vincristine in U-937/WT cells may correlate with cell differentiation and synthesis of proteins that regulate apoptosis.
...
PMID:Monocytic differentiation and synthesis of proteins associated with apoptosis in human leukemia U-937 cells acquiring resistance to vincristine. 869 36
Endogenously generated or exogenously supplied nitric oxide (NO)-induced apoptotic cell death in the mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Apoptotic signaling caused an early accumulation of the tumor suppressor p53 prior to DNA fragmentation. Contrary to the notion of specific activating signals, inhibitory transduction mechanisms largely remain unknown. Therefore, RAW 264.7 macrophages were stably transfected with human
Bcl-2
, an anti-apoptotic protein.
Bcl-2
transfectants showed substantial protection from cell death induced following the exposure to NO donors such as S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) and spermine-NO. In contrast, in RAW 264. 7 parent or in neomycin control-transformed cells, these NO donors induced internucleosomal DNA cleavage in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, expression of the inducible NO synthase in response to lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma also caused apoptosis in RAW macrophages and neo controls within 24 h. In contrast,
Bcl-2
transfectants appeared highly resistant, although inducible NO synthase levels increased along with concomitant nitrite production similar to control cells. The expression of p53 and Bax was also explored in controls and
Bcl-2
transfectants after GSNO addition. GSNO induced p53 expression in
Bcl-2
transfectants at levels comparable with nontransfected RAW macrophages. Moreover, GSNO induced increases in the steady-state levels of
Bax protein
in parental and
Bcl-2
-transfected cells. We conclude therefore, that
Bcl-2
acts downstream of p53, presumably nullifying the NO-mediated increase in
Bax protein
in RAW 264.7 cells.
...
PMID:Bcl-2 protects macrophages from nitric oxide-induced apoptosis. 870 45
During early pregnancy, the uterine endometrium responds to an implanting blastocyst with the extensive growth and differentiation of decidualization. This transformation of endometrial stromal cells begins in the antimesometrial side of the uterus to form a primary decidual zone, expands to form a secondary zone in the antimesometrium, and eventually transforms stromal cells in the mesometrial region. During pregnancy, both decidual zones regress by apoptosis, leaving decidual cells in the mesometrial region to form decidua basalis and the mature placenta. Molecular mechanisms controlling cell death during blastocyst implantation and decidualization are unknown. We examined the hypothesis that progesterone and estrogen control of endometrial differentiation and eventual apoptosis involves control of bcl-2 gene family expression. Ovariectomized rats were primed with estradiol and treated with progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate, 3.5 mg) and estradiol (200 ng) before an intrauterine stimulus to initiate decidualization. Expression of the two bax messenger RNA transcripts, 1.0 and 1.5 kilobases, was examined by Northern blot analysis after hormone treatment and decidualization, and only the 1.0-kilobase transcript was induced. After the same treatments, the expression of bcl-2, a suppressor of apoptosis, decreased. In situ analysis revealed a cell type-specific increase in bax expression after the hormonal treatment and decidualization. This increase was first seen in luminal and glandular epithelial cells and then in the periluminal stroma 24 h after intrauterine stimulation, with eventual progressive expression throughout the stroma. Expression of bcl-2 decreased after hormone treatment and decidualization. Immunohistochemical studies of Bax showed that expression of
Bax protein
accompanied decidualization of the stroma.
Bcl-2
protein was only seen in the luminal and glandular epithelia, and its level decreased as decidualization progressed. These data indicate that the balance between bax and bcl-2 expression is altered during stromal cell differentiation. Increased expression of bax precedes nucleosomal DNA fragmentation and eventual apoptosis, which plays a significant role in placental development.
...
PMID:Effect of decidualization on the expression of bax and bcl-2 in the rat uterine endometrium. 877 Sep 38
This study further investigated the mechanisms that control apoptosis in leukaemic CD5+ B cells, and focused on the
Bcl-2
gene family. The pattern of expression of
Bcl-2
, Bcl-xL, Bcl-xS and Bax genes, selected because of their interrelated role in the control of apoptosis, was analysed in a series of CD5+ B-cell chronic lymphoid leukaemias. Cells from 34 patients with chronic lymphoid leukaemia of B-cell type (23 B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) and 11 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in leukaemic phase) were investigated. High levels of
Bcl-2
mRNA were observed by Northern blot and high levels of
Bcl-2
protein were detected by cytofluorograph analysis with a specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) in all cases. Strong Bax expression was detected by RT-PCR in 20/23 B-CLL cases; Bax was also observed in 8/11 MCL in leukaemic phase with variable degree of intensity. In both B-CLL and MCL samples the presence of
Bax protein
was confirmed by cytofluorograph analysis. RT-PCR detected high levels of Bcl-xL in 16/23 B-CLL and in 8/11 MCL in leukaemic phase, whereas Bcl-xS was detectable in low to trace amounts respectively in 13/23 B-CLL and in 6/11 MCL in leukaemic phase. According to the functional role of
Bcl-2
, Bcl-xL, Bcl-xS and Bax, these data indicate that the pattern of
Bcl-2
family genes expression in leukaemic CD5+ B cells is skewed toward prevention of apoptosis and may thus favour the relentless accumulation of CD5+ leukaemic B cells.
...
PMID:In leukaemic CD5+ B cells the expression of BCL-2 gene family is shifted toward protection from apoptosis. 882 82
Bcl-2
is a key protein involved in the control of apoptosis. Our previous studies on breast and endometrium indicated hormonal regulation of bcl-2 in these tissues. In the present work we have analyzed
Bcl-2
and
Bax protein
expressions in MCF-7 and T47-D, 2 hormone-dependent breast-cancer cell lines, by immunoblots. Estradiol markedly increased
Bcl-2
protein content, both in short- and in long-term treatments of MCF-7 cells. Two types of anti-estrogens (4-hydroxytamoxifen and RU 58668) were able to reverse this effect. Also, a synthetic progestin (ORG 2058) was able to decrease the
Bcl-2
level in T47-D cells. The level of
Bax protein
, however, was not affected in the same conditions of hormonal treatments. The level of
Bcl-2
expression was 4.5-fold higher in MCF-7 than in MDA-MB 231 (an estradiol-independent cell line). From these results, we infer the existence of hormonal regulation of
Bcl-2
expression and evoke a novel role for estradiol and progestin in the genesis of breast cancer.
...
PMID:Antagonism between estradiol and progestin on Bcl-2 expression in breast-cancer cells. 889 51
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