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

Bcl-2 functions to repress apoptosis by regulation of genes which encode proteins required for programmed cell death and by interference with peroxidative damage. We investigated the interrelationship between expression of bcl-2 and regulation of transcription factor DNA binding activities in the 2B4 T cell hybridoma and IL-2-dependent CTLL T cell line. Over-expression of bcl-2 in 2B4 resulted in enhanced basal levels of activator protein (AP)-1, octamer binding factor (Oct)-1, lymphoid enhancer binding factor (LEF)-1, RelA-p50 and NF-kappa B p50-p50 DNA binding activities. After apoptotic signaling, down-regulation of AP-1, NF-AT and Oct-1 binding activities was observed in control 2B4 and CTLL, whereas suboptimal, but higher, levels of these transcription factors were found in bcl-2-transfected cells, potentially promoting cell survival. Furthermore, after apoptotic signaling, expression of bcl-2 led to differential changes of NF-kappa B levels, resulting in a decrease in RelA-p50 and an increase in NF-kappa B p50-p50, altering the ratio of these DNA binding activities such that now p50-p50 markedly predominated in both 2B4-Bcl-2 and CTLL-Bcl-2. Apoptotic signaling in the presence or absence of Bcl-2 resulted in induction of the RelB-p50 heterodimer in 2B4. The changes in NF-kappa B/Rel levels raise the possibility that this family of transcription factors may play an important role in the regulation of apoptosis.
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PMID:Pleiotropic effects of Bcl-2 on transcription factors in T cells: potential role of NF-kappa B p50-p50 for the anti-apoptotic function of Bcl-2. 858 69

Antigen-activated T cells of the CD4(+)CD8(-) phenotype are susceptible to antigen receptor-stimulated cell death. This form of apoptotic cell death has been shown to be dependent on the expression of the Fas (CD95) antigen and can occur via an autocrine mechanism involving the concomitant up-regulation of Fas and its ligand on activated T cells. Mutation in genes encoding Fas (Ipr) and the Fas ligand (gld) contribute to the development of an autoimmune syndrome similar to systemic lupus erythematosus in mice. These observations led to the suggestion that the Fas signaling pathway is an important regulator of immune responses in vivo. Here we evaluated the importance of the Fas pathway in regulating immune responses by male antigen-specific CD4(-)CD8(+) T cells. We found that the in vivo elimination of these activated cells was independent of Fas expression by these cells. However, the elimination of these activated cells was inhibited by the transgenic expression of Bcl-2, a protein that inhibits multiple forms of apoptotic cell death. The transgenic Bcl-2 protein also inhibited the death of male antigen-activated cells following IL-2 deprivation. Cell death resulting from IL-2 deprivation occurred efficiently in male antigen-activated Fas- cells. We propose that the rapid deletion of male antigen-activated Fas- cells in vivo is due to limiting amounts of IL-2 that are available in the microenvironment of the activated cells at the peak of the response.
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PMID:Fas (CD95)-independent regulation of immune responses by antigen-specific CD4-CD8+ T cells. 867 54

Murine AIDS (MAIDS) induced by infection of C57BL/6 mice with a mixture of retroviruses known as LP-BM5 is characterized by lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and T and B cell dysfunction. By labeling with bromodeoxyuridine in vivo, we found vigorous CD4 T cell proliferation during the initial stages of infection, yet a loss in their ability to function both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, a significant fraction of the CD4 T cell population in infected mice undergoes spontaneous apoptosis in vivo. Upon in vitro stimulation with anti-CD3 plus PMA, anergic CD4 T cells from mice with MAIDS fail to progress through the cell cycle (G0/G1 arrest), and a fraction of the cells undergoes apoptosis. The addition of IL-2 along with TCR-mediated stimulation not only fails to rescue CD4 T cells from apoptosis, but enhances activation-induced cell death. To further understand the regulation of the suicide pathway(s) of anergic CD4 T cells vs the cytokine synthesis pathway(s) of normal CD4 T cells, we evaluated their expression of Bcl-2 protein. As infection progresses, the expression of Bcl-2 among CD4 T cells declines and drops further when CD4 T cells are restimulated through the TCR in vitro. These results suggest that this CD4 T cell immunodeficiency in MAIDS includes a TCR-induced program of activation-induced cell death and an uncoupling from cytokine synthesis pathways and proliferation of CD4 T cells. The decline in Bcl-2 expression may be in part responsible for this reprogramming.
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PMID:TCR triggering of anergic CD4 T cells in murine AIDS induces apoptosis rather than cytokine synthesis and proliferation. 875 10

To find out how physiologically secreted IFN-gamma controls either the proliferation or the apoptosis of human T lymphocytes, the kinetics of expression of the alpha- and beta-chains of its receptor (IFN-gamma R) were sequentially followed on T lymphocytes first activated with PHA and then cultured in the presence of IL-2, and related to the kinetics of expression of Fas, Bcl-2, and IL-2R p55 chain. Both IFN-gamma R chains were poorly expressed on the membrane of resting T lymphocytes. Following their stimulation with PHA, IFN-gamma R alpha but not IFN gamma R beta-chain up-modulated before T lymphocyte entry into the S phase, and then IFN-gamma R alpha down-modulated when they passed through the S and G2/M. The ensuing proliferative response was inhibited by an anti-IFN-gamma R alpha mAb that impeded the binding of IFN-gamma. When PHA-activated T lymphoblasts were cultured for 16 days with IL-2, IFN-gamma R alpha expression increased, whereas that of the beta-chain remained barely detectable. Fas and Bcl-2 were both highly expressed. When these T lymphoblasts were restimulated by PHA, OKT3, or Staphylococcus enterotoxin beta-pokeweed mitogen, both chains up-modulated and most cells underwent apoptosis in a way apparently independent of Bcl-2, but not of Fas. This apoptosis, too, was prevented by the anti-IFN-gamma R alpha mAb. Physiologically secreted IFN-gamma is thus involved in the activation of resting T lymphocytes and in the apoptosis of reactivated lymphoblasts. However, high expression of IFN-gamma R beta took place when IFN-gamma induced apoptosis, but not when it induced proliferation. In conclusion, a correlation exists between differential expression of the IFN-gamma R beta-chain and the delivery by IFN-gamma of proliferative or apoptotic signals.
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PMID:Switching on of the proliferation or apoptosis of activated human T lymphocytes by IFN-gamma is correlated with the differential expression of the alpha- and beta-chains of its receptor. 875 12

We investigated cytokine production and accessory cell function in human macrophage hybridoma cell lines and primary monocytes after infection with HIV-1. HIV-1 infection induced IL-10 production in the macrophage hybridoma cell line with loss of IL-12 1 wk after infection. There were also significant increases in production of IL-10 (537 +/- 521 vs 687 +/- 625 pg/ml) while there was a reduction in IL-12 (6.3 +/- 3.1 vs 1.2 +/- 1.0 pg/ml, p = 0.021) in the primary monocytes 5 days after HIV-1 infection. In addition, the hybridoma cell lines and primary monocytes failed to support PHA, Con A, PWM, or anti-CD3- induced T cell proliferation 1 wk after infection. The viability of the T cells cocultured with the HIV-1-infected macrophage cell lines or the primary monocytes as determined by propidium iodide staining was unaltered and there was no increase in apoptosis-specific DNA strand breaks or increased expression of Bcl-2 in the T cells. No soluble suppressor factor was present, since UV-inactivated supernatants from the hybridoma cell line and primary monocytes failed to inhibit mitogen- and anti-CD3-induced T cell proliferation. Early events in T cell activation, including calcium flux and phosphotyrosine kinase activity, were intact in the T cells cocultured with the HIV-1- infected hybridomas and monocytes but there was reduced IL-2 production. Addition of exogenous IL-2 restored the proliferative responses. Taken together, these data suggest that alteration of cytokine production and accessory cell function for mitogens and anti-CD3-induced T cell proliferation independent of induction of apoptosis, suppressor factor production, or inhibition of T cell signaling occurs very early after HIV-1 infection and may contribute to the global immunosuppression observed in AIDS.
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PMID:Altered cytokine production and accessory cell function after HIV-1 infection. 875 40

Recent evidence suggests that apoptotic deletion of activated mature lymphocytes is an essential physiological process implicated in both the regulation of the immune response and the control of the overall number of immunocompetent cells. Tightly interrelated signaling mechanisms convey either activation or death messages, achieving the necessary equilibrium between cell proliferation and cell deletion. During the course of aging, numerous alterations of these signaling pathways may shift the balance toward cell death. In the present investigation, the reduced DNA synthesis of anti-CD3 activated T lymphocytes isolated from elderly individuals is associated with an important and early cell deletion from the cultures. Visualization of DNA fragmentation in the remaining activated cells argues in favour of the apoptotic nature of the cell deletion. Quantification of histone-associated DNA fragments shows that the apoptotic process is greatly amplified in activated lymphocytes derived from senescent organisms. Further analysis reveals that IL-2 deprivation does not play a significant role in the age-related increase in apoptosis. Partial correction of this excessive apoptosis by products that bypass the early steps of the signaling cascade suggests that transmembrane signaling defects are involved in this process. Exploration of the antioxidant pathway reveals that the increased susceptibility of lymphocytes from senescent organisms to apoptosis is not explained by a decreased Bcl-2 expression and is not influenced by a modification of the intracellular concentration of glutathione (GSH).
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PMID:Excessive apoptosis of mature T lymphocytes is a characteristic feature of human immune senescence. 880 91

IL-2 administration in vivo has been shown to increase CD4+ T cell counts in HIV+ patients. We have previously reported that PBMC from HIV-infected patients undergo marked spontaneous apoptosis in vitro. In this study, we examined the effect of IL-2 added in vitro upon culture-induced apoptosis in PBMC from 80 HIV-infected patients by flow cytometry. IL-2 at concentrations of > or = 10 U/ml significantly reduced spontaneous apoptosis in CD3+ T lymphocytes in patients but not in healthy volunteers. Interestingly, we observed that Bcl-2 expression in patient lymphocytes decreased rapidly upon in vitro culture while that in cells of healthy volunteers was relatively unaffected. The most significant decrease in Bcl-2 expression was noted in the apoptotic cell population. The IL-2-mediated reduction in lymphocyte apoptosis was found to be associated with the blocking of this culture-induced down-modulation of Bcl-2 expression. IL-2 did not induce significant expansion of lymphocytes during the culture period nor did it affect Fas Ag expression in patient cells, which were already expressing Fas maximally. These findings strongly suggest that IL-2 mediates its apoptosis-blocking effects via suppressing down-modulation of Bcl-2. Our findings also provide an experimental basis for the ongoing therapies utilizing this cytokine for slowing HIV disease progression.
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PMID:IL-2 rescues in vitro lymphocyte apoptosis in patients with HIV infection: correlation with its ability to block culture-induced down-modulation of Bcl-2. 889 56

Accelerated apoptosis and improper expression of cytokine genes have been considered as important defects of lymphocytes for the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study was undertaken to test the possible contribution of serum factors obtained from SLE patients to these abnormalities. Molt-4 and Jurkat cells constantly exhibited a slower growth rate as well as more dead cells in culture with SLE sera tested than controls, although the cell cycle progression was apparently unaffected. Increased apoptosis was demonstrable among SLE sera-cultured cells by ELISA for apoptosis-specific DNA fragments and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) in situ death analysis. Different levels of Fas, Fas-L, and Bcl-2 gene products were not detected between SLE sera-treated cells and the controls. The transcripts of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) genes of these two T cell lines were evidently increased in the presence of SLE sera, while IL-2 and IL-4 were unaffected. Elevated expression of IL-5 was also found in Molt-4 cells. By contrast, SLE sera reduced the transcripts of IL-6 gene in Jurkat cells. The effects of SLE sera were independent of corticosteroid medication. These results suggest that serum abnormalities may also play a role in T cell dysfunction.
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PMID:Induction of apoptosis and cytokine gene expression in T-cell lines by sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. 901 May 6

Resting lymphocyte survival is dependent upon the expression of Bcl-2, yet the factors responsible for maintaining lymphocyte Bcl-2 protein expression in vivo are largely unknown. Natural killer (NK) cells are bone marrow-derived lymphocytes that constitutively express the beta and common gamma(c) subunits of the IL-2 receptor (R) as a heterodimer with intermediate affinity for IL-2. IL-15 also binds to IL-2Rbeta gamma(c) and is much more abundant in normal tissues than IL-2. Mice that lack the IL-2 gene have NK cells, whereas mice and humans that lack IL-2R gamma(c) do not have NK cells. Further, treatment of mice with an antibody directed against IL-2Rbeta results in a loss of the NK cell compartment. These data suggest that a cytokine other than IL-2, which binds to IL-2Rbeta gamma(c), is important for NK cell development and survival in vivo. In the current report, we show that the recently described IL-15R(alpha) subunit cooperates with IL-2Rbeta gamma(c) to transduce an intracellular signal at picomolar concentrations of IL-15. We demonstrate that resting human NK cells express IL-15R(alpha) mRNA and further, that picomolar amounts of IL-15 can sustain NK cell survival for up to 8 d in the absence of serum. NK cell survival was not sustained by other monocyte-derived factors (i.e., TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-10, IL-12) nor by cytokines known to use gamma(c) for signaling (i.e., IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL- 13). One mechanism by which IL-15 promotes NK cell survival may involve the maintenance of Bcl-2 protein expression. Considering these functional properties of IL-15 and the fact that it is produced by bone marrow stromal cells and activated monocytes, we propose that IL-15 may function as an NK cell survival factor in vivo.
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PMID:A potential role for interleukin-15 in the regulation of human natural killer cell survival. 906 51

Apoptosis is a physiological mechanism of cell death that plays an important role in the regulation of tissue homeostasis. The regulation of apoptosis is a complex process and involves a number of gene products including the survival factor Bcl-2, which has been found to be frequently deregulated in human cancers. In addition to deregulation of apoptosis, the process of neoplasia is also believed to be driven by the activation of telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein complex that adds telomeric repeats (hexanucleotide 5'-TTAGGG-3') to the ends of replicating chromosomes. Activation of telomerase has been detected in a vast majority of human cancer cells. Although recent studies have demonstrated the wide occurrence of telomerase activation and Bcl-2 deregulation in human cancer cells, it remains unclear whether there is any linkage between the deregulation of Bcl-2 and telomerase activity in cancer cells. In the studies presented here, we report that the stable overexpression of Bcl-2 in human cancer cells with low Bcl-2 expression was accompanied by increased levels of telomerase activity. In addition, using an IL-2-dependent cytotoxic T-cell line, CTLL-2, we demonstrated that IL-2 deprivation (8 h), which is known to down-regulate Bcl-2 expression, also resulted in concurrent inhibition of telomerase activity in the absence of any detectable apoptosis and accumulation of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Re-exposure of IL-2-deprived CTLL-2 cells to the recombinant IL-2 led to the up-regulation of both Bcl-2 expression and telomerase activity. Taken together, these findings establish a close linkage between the modulation of telomerase activity by survival factor Bcl-2, and provide a model to study regulation of telomerase activity by an anti-apoptotic pathway that is widely deregulated in cancer cells.
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PMID:Bcl-2 modulates telomerase activity. 916 48


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