Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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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 identified a 24-kilodalton protein that is the product of the human bcl-2 gene, implicated as an oncogene because of its presence at the site of t(14;18) translocation breakpoints. The Bcl-2 protein was detected by specific, highly sensitive rabbit antibodies and was shown to be present in a number of human lymphoid cell lines and tissues, as well as in mouse B cells transfected with a bcl-2 cDNA construct. Characterization of the Bcl-2 protein demonstrated that it has a lipophilic nature and is associated with membrane structures, probably by means of its hydrophobic carboxy-terminal membrane-spanning domain. In t(14;18)-carrying cell lines, the protein is predominantly localized to the perinuclear endoplasmic reticulum, with a minor fraction in the plasma membrane. These properties, together with the observations that Bcl-2 does not have a characteristic signal peptide and is not glycosylated, suggest that it is an integral-membrane protein that spans the bilayer at its C-terminal hydrophobic region but is exposed only at the cytoplasmic surface. The relative abundance of the Bcl-2 protein in various human lymphoid cell lines correlated with transcription of the bcl-2 gene. The protein was abundant in all t(14;18)-carrying cell lines and lymphomas and was also found at lower levels in pre-B-cell lines and nonmalignant lymphoid tissues that do not carry t(14;18) translocations. These results suggest that the Bcl-2 protein is functional in normal B lymphocytes and that a quantitative difference in its expression may play a role in the pathogenesis of lymphomas carrying the t(14;18) translocation.
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PMID:The bcl-2 candidate proto-oncogene product is a 24-kilodalton integral-membrane protein highly expressed in lymphoid cell lines and lymphomas carrying the t(14;18) translocation. 265 3

The maintenance of homeostasis in normal tissues reflects a balance between cell proliferation and cell death. Bcl-2 inaugurated a new category of oncogenes, regulators of cell death. The Bcl-2 gene was identified at the chromosomal breakpoint of t(14;18) bearing B cell lymphomas. Bcl-2 proved unique by blocking programmed cell death rather than promoting proliferation. In adults, Bcl-2 is topographically restricted to progenitor cells and longlived cells but is much more widespread in the developing embryo. Transgenic mice that overexpress Bcl-2 demonstrate extended cell survival, and progress to high grade lymphomas. Bcl-2 has been localized to mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear membranes, also the sites of reactive oxygen species generation. Bcl-2 does not appear to influence the generation of oxygen free radicals but does prevent oxidative damage to cellular constituents including lipid membranes. Bcl-2 deficient mice complete embryonic development but undergo fulminant lymphoid apoptosis of thymus and spleen. Moreover, they demonstrate two unexpected pathologies resulting from cell death, polycystic kidney disease and hair hypopigmentation. The latter is a potential oxidant injury from the melanin biosynthetic pathway. A family of Bcl-2 related genes is emerging that includes Bax, a conserved homolog that heterodimerizes in vivo with Bcl-2 and promotes cell death. The ratio of family members, such as Bcl-2/Bax, determines the survival or death of cells following an apoptotic stimulus.
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PMID:Reactive oxygen species and the regulation of cell death by the Bcl-2 gene family. 759 27

Apoptosis is a new concept which could be of great importance in the understanding and treatment of cancer. An important feature is the discovery of inhibitors of apoptosis, because they induce resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs and irradiation. Bcl-2 is the most well known of these apoptosis inhibitors. When it is overexpressed cells are less sensitive to cytotoxic drugs; on the contrary, when it is underexpressed they are more sensitive. Clinically, bcl-2 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in several cancers. Bcl-2 protein, p26-bcl-2, is located in the outer mitochondrial membrane, the nuclear envelope and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. P26-bcl-2 is an antioxidant; this property could explain the anti-apoptotic activity since peroxides seem to be important mediators of apoptosis. Bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotides are able to reverse the apoptosis inhibition. New cancer treatments should take into account the expression of bcl-2.
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PMID:Anticancer drug resistance and inhibition of apoptosis. 782 61

With the recent advances in molecular technology, diagnostic procedures of the diseases at a DNA level have been introduced in hematological fields. The diagnostic methods used are Southern blotting to detect gene rearrangements, Northern blotting to find gene expressions, RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) to identify transcribed fusion messages, and PCR-SSCR (single strand conformation polymorphism) to detect mutated genes. Rearrangements within major Bcr (breakpoint cluster region) were observed in almost all cases in chronic myelogenous leukemia, and breakpoint were found within minor Bcr in Philadelphia-positive leukemia. The rearrangements within the second intron of the retinoic acid receptor-alpha and sixth intron (bcr 1), third intron (bcr 3) and sixth exon (bcr 2) of the PML gene were detected in all cases with acute promyelocytic leukemia. In malignant lymphoma, the rearrangements of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes, and new genes such as Bcl-1, Bcl-2, Bcl-5, Tal-1, and Tal-2 were also reported and rearrangements of the Bcl-5 gene were found in this study using Bcl-5 specific probe which we have cloned. Point mutations and deletions of the genes involved in the coagulation and fibrinolysis system have been reported. One base insertion resulting in elongation of carboxy terminal region and one amino acid deletion in alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor gene were found in two cases of its deficiency. Further study revealed that mutated proteins were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum in the cells. With the development of the PCR method, identification of gene mutation is gradually carried out as a routine work.
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PMID:[Molecular study of hematological diseases]. 791 42

The protein product of the oncogene bcl-2 is a potent inhibitor of apoptotic cell death. The Bcl-2 protein has variously been reported to reside in the nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum or exclusively in the inner membrane of mitochondria. We therefore undertook a detailed analysis of the intracellular distribution of Bcl-2 by immunofluorescence, immunogold electron microscopy, and subcellular fractionation in three mouse cell lines expressing a human bcl-2 transgene and measured its importation into isolated mitochondria. By these methods, the protein was localized to the nuclear envelope, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the outer mitochondrial membrane. Any proposal for the mechanism by which Bcl-2 inhibits apoptosis must therefore accommodate the fact that Bcl-2 localizes to cytoplasmic membranes facing the cytosol.
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PMID:The protein product of the oncogene bcl-2 is a component of the nuclear envelope, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the outer mitochondrial membrane. 804 15

A complementary DNA for human bcl-2 was cloned into the replication competent avian retrovirus vector RCASBP, and the resulting virus was used to express human Bcl-2 protein at high levels in chicken embryo fibroblasts. The expression of Bcl-2 did not transform or significantly alter the longevity of the chicken embryo fibroblasts in the presence of normal amounts of serum. However, the expression of Bcl-2 blocked c-Myc-induced apoptosis in these cells. Fractionation of the infected chicken embryo fibroblasts indicated that the protein was distributed equally between nuclear and high density cytoplasmic membranes. Immunofluorescence analysis by confocal microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy showed that the Bcl-2 protein was primarily associated with the nuclear membrane and with the endoplasmic reticulum. Reduced amounts of the protein were associated with other membranes in the cytoplasm. These data show that, in this system, the Bcl-2 protein associates with the nuclear membrane and intracytoplasmic membranes but is not preferentially associated with mitochondria.
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PMID:Bcl-2 expressed using a retroviral vector is localized primarily in the nuclear membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum of chicken embryo fibroblasts. 804 16

The Bcl-2 protein blocks programmed cell death and becomes overproduced in many follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas as the result of t(14; 18) translocations involving the Bcl-2 gene. Mcl-1 is a recently discovered gene whose encoded protein has significant homology with Bcl-2 but whose function remains unknown. In this study, we compared the in vivo patterns of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein production in normal and neoplastic lymph node biopsies by immunohistochemical means using specific polyclonal antisera. Intracellular Mcl-1 immunoreactivity was located primarily in the cytosol in a punctate pattern and was also seen in association with the nuclear envelope in many cases, similar to the results obtained for Bcl-2, which resides in the outer mitochondrial membrane, nuclear envelope, and endoplasmic reticulum. In 4 of 4 reactive tonsils and 28 of 28 nodes with reactive follicular hyperplasia, reciprocal patterns of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein expression were observed. Bcl-2 immunostaining was highest in mantle zone lymphocytes and absent from most germinal center cells, whereas Mcl-1 immunoreactivity was highest in germinal center lymphocytes and absent from mantle zone lymphocytes. Mcl-1 was also expressed in some interfollicular lymphocytes, particularly those that had the appearance of activated lymphocytes. Similar to the patterns of Bcl-2 and mcl-1 expression seen in reactive nodes, Mcl-1 protein was largely absent from the malignant cells in 2 of 2 mantle cell lymphomas, whereas strong Bcl-2 immunostaining was found in these cells. In contrast to normal nodes, however, the neoplastic follicles of t(14;18) containing follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas immunostained positively for both Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 in 24 of 27 cases. Intense immunostaining for Mcl-1 was also observed in Reed-Sternberg cells in 2 of 2 cases of Hodgkin's disease but Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was present at much lower levels. These findings demonstrate that the levels of Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 proteins are differentially regulated in normal and neoplastic cells in lymph nodes and thus suggest different roles for these proteins in the control of cell life and death in these tissues.
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PMID:Immunohistochemical analysis of Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 proteins in normal and neoplastic lymph nodes. 808 35

The maintenance of homeostasis in normal tissues reflects a balance between cell proliferation and cell death. The importance of both positive and negative regulators of cell growth has been well documented in neoplasia. Bcl-2 argues for the existence of a new category of oncogenes, regulators of cell death. The bcl-2 gene was identified at the chromosomal breakpoint of t(14; 18) bearing B cell lymphomas. Bcl-2 has proved to be unique among protooncogenes in blocking programmed cell death rather than promoting proliferation. In adults, bcl-2 is topographically restricted to progenitor cells and longlived cells but is much more widespread in the developing embryo. Transgenic mice that overexpress bcl-2 in the B cell lineage demonstrate extended cell survival, and progress to high grade lymphomas. Bcl-2 has been localized to mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear membranes, also the sites of reactive oxygen species generation. Bcl-2 does not appear to influence the generation of oxygen free radicals but does prevent oxidative damage to cellular constituents including lipid membranes. Bcl-2 deficient mice complete embryonic development and display relatively normal haematopoietic differentiation but undergo fulminant lymphoid apoptosis of thymus and spleen. Moreover, they demonstrate two potentially oxidation related pathologies: polycystic kidney disease and hair hypopigmentation. A family of bcl-2 related genes is emerging that includes Bax, a conserved homolog that heterodimerizes in vivo with bcl-2. A pre-set ratio of Bcl-2/Bax appears to determine the survival or death of cells following an apoptotic stimulus.
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PMID:Bcl-2/Bax: a rheostat that regulates an anti-oxidant pathway and cell death. 814 17

Bcl-2 is thought to associate spontaneously with membranes via a carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic domain by a mechanism analogous to that of cytochrome b5. We have examined the association of Bcl-2 with a variety of highly purified intracellular membranes in vitro. Fusion proteins were used to assess directly the role of the carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic domain of Bcl-2 in membrane association. Although this domain of Bcl-2 was sufficient to promote the association of a normally cytosolic polypeptide with either microsomal or mitochondrial membranes additional nonhydrophobic amino-terminal residues were required for membrane integration. Furthermore, direct comparison of membrane binding of Bcl-2 and cytochrome b5 revealed that similar to cytochrome b5, membrane targeting of Bcl-2 was not dependent on protease-sensitive components of the recipient membranes. In competition experiments, cytochrome b5 demonstrated the expected preference for integration into endoplasmic reticulum membranes. In contrast, the data presented here suggest that Bcl-2 is targeted to the cytoplasmic surface of multiple intracellular membranes, both in vitro and in human leukemic cells.
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PMID:Assembly of Bcl-2 into microsomal and outer mitochondrial membranes. 814 76

The protooncogene product Bcl-2 is an integral membrane protein that functions as a suppressor of programmed cell death. It contains a single predicted transmembrane segment located at its COOH terminus. Here, we show that the transmembrane domain of human Bcl-2 functions as a mitochondrial signal anchor sequence that targets and inserts the protein into the outer membrane in an Ncyto-C(in) orientation, leaving the bulk of the polypeptide facing the cytosol. Deletion of the COOH-terminal 22 amino acids of Bcl-2 abrogated protein targeting, whereas fusion of this domain to the COOH terminus of dihydrofolate reductase resulted in targeting and insertion of the hybrid protein into the outer membrane in a manner similar to that of Bcl-2. The sequence of the hydrophobic core of the Bcl-2 signal anchor is similar to the corresponding region of the NH2-terminal signal anchor of the mitochondrial outer membrane protein in yeast, Mas70p. A synthetic peptide comprising the Mas70p signal anchor sequence effectively competed for insertion of Bcl-2 into the outer membrane but had no effect on the comparatively low association that Bcl-2 makes with endoplasmic reticulum microsomes. Insertion of Bcl-2 into the mitochondrial outer membrane is mechanistically different than its association with microsomes.
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PMID:Targeting of Bcl-2 to the mitochondrial outer membrane by a COOH-terminal signal anchor sequence. 824 56


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