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

Apoptosis is a form of physiological cell death, characterized by chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic blebbing and DNA fragmentation, which often depends on RNA and protein synthesis by the dying cell. The c-myc proto-oncogene, usually implicated in cell transformation, differentiation and cell-cycle progression also has a central role in some forms of apoptosis. These opposing roles of myc in cell growth and death require that other gene products dictate the outcome of c-Myc expression on a cell. A candidate for such a modifying gene is bcl-2, whose product prolongs cell survival and blocks apoptosis in some systems. Here we demonstrate that Bcl-2 prevents apoptotic death induced by c-Myc, provide a mechanism whereby cells can express c-Myc without undergoing apoptosis, and give a possible explanation for the ability of Bcl-2 to synergize with c-Myc in cell transformation.
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PMID:Apoptotic cell death induced by c-myc is inhibited by bcl-2. 140 75

The bcl-2 proto-oncogene is activated by translocation in a variety of B-lymphoid tumours and synergizes with the c-myc oncogene in tumour progression. The mechanism of synergy is unclear but bcl-2 expression inhibits apoptosis, a property presumably pertinent to its proto-oncogenic mode of action. We have shown that the c-myc gene is a potent inducer of apoptosis, in addition to its established role in mitogenesis. Here we show that expression of the bcl-2 protein, Bcl-2, specifically abrogates c-myc-induced apoptosis without affecting the c-myc mitogenic function. This provides a novel mechanism for oncogene cooperation, of potential importance both in carcinogenesis and in the evolution of drug resistance in tumours.
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PMID:Cooperative interaction between c-myc and bcl-2 proto-oncogenes. 140 76

Approximately half of the neurons produced during embryogenesis normally die before adulthood. Although target-derived neurotrophic factors are known to be major determinants of programmed cell death--apoptosis--the molecular mechanisms by which trophic factors interfere with cell death regulation are largely unknown. Overexpression of the bcl-2 proto-oncogene in cultured sympathetic neurons has now been shown to prevent apoptosis normally induced by deprivation of nerve growth factor. This finding, together with the previous demonstration of bcl-2 expression in the nervous system, suggests that the Bcl-2 protein may be a major mediator of the effects of neurotrophic factors on neuronal survival.
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PMID:Prevention of programmed cell death of sympathetic neurons by the bcl-2 proto-oncogene. 141 28

A strategy is described for production of monoclonal antibodies against recombinant proteins that are produced using the baculovirus expression system and that requires no prior purification of the protein of interest. Crude lysates prepared from cultured Sf9 insect cells infected with recombinant or control baculoviruses are absorbed to nitrocellulose filters and used in a dot-immunobinding assay for screening hybridomas. The monoclonal antibody-producing hybridomas are derived by immunization of mice with a synthetic peptide corresponding to a hydrophilic region in the recombinant protein of interest. By using the baculovirus-produced recombinant protein as the screening antigen and by comparing antibody binding to filters containing control Sf9 lysates, hybridomas are identified that produce monoclonal antibodies with specific reactivity for the recombinant protein of interest and that can then subsequently be used to assist in the large-scale purification of the recombinant protein from baculovirus-infected cells. We applied this method to recombinant 26-kDa human Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2), an integral membrane oncoprotein that regulates programmed cell death ("apoptosis") in hematolymphoid cells through unknown mechanisms. Two mouse monoclonal antibodies were produced that specifically bound the recombinant Bcl-2 baculoprotein in both solution and solid-phase assays.
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PMID:A strategy for generating monoclonal antibodies against recombinant baculovirus-produced proteins: application to the Bcl-2 oncoprotein. 144 60

The maintenance of homoeostasis 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 programmed 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 proto-oncogenes in being localized to mitochondria and in blocking programmed cell death rather than affecting proliferation. In adults, bcl-2 is topographically restricted to progenitor cells and long-lived cells in tissues characterized by apoptotic cell death. Bcl-2 is confined to the zones of surviving B cells in germinal centres. Within thymus, bcl-2 is present in the surviving mature thymocytes of the medulla but absent from the majority of immature cortical thymocytes, most of which die by apoptosis. Transgenic mice that overexpress bcl-2 in the B cell lineage demonstrate extended cell survival and prolonged immune responses and indicate a role for bcl-2 in B cell memory. Transgenic models that overexpress bcl-2 in the thymus have expanded the involvement of bcl-2 to multiple apoptotic pathways and indicate its involvement in thymocyte maturation. Moreover, the development of tumours in transgenic mice that overexpress bcl-2 indicates the potential importance of oncogenes in interfering with programmed cell death. Alterations in genes that regulate cell death may prove to be key events in neoplasia, extending the life span of cells and thus increasing their opportunity to acquire additional genetic aberrations.
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PMID:Bcl-2: an antidote to programmed cell death. 145 Nov 7

We have produced bcl-2 transgenic mice by using a construct which mimics the t(14;18) translocation in human follicular lymphomas. Although lymphoid tissues from all transgenic mice contained high levels of human Bcl-2 protein, transgene expression was differentially regulated within the B- and T-cell compartments of lines derived from various founder mice. We have characterized the phenotypes of two lines of bcl-2 transgenic mice (line 2 and line 6) in which bcl-2 transgene expression was restricted primarily to the T- or B-cell lineages, respectively. Analysis of line 6 lymphocytes revealed a polyclonal expansion of B cells, and these B cells exhibited prolonged survival in vitro. In line 2 mice, numbers of T cells in the peripheral lymphoid tissues were more moderately elevated despite enhanced T-cell survival in vitro. Line 2 transgenic mice also showed significantly increased proportions of thymocytes with a mature phenotype. Taken together, these findings suggest different roles for bcl-2 in the in vivo regulation of B- and T-cell development and homeostasis.
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PMID:Differential effects of Bcl-2 on T and B cells in transgenic mice. 145 23

Cooperation between the adenovirus E1A and E1B oncogenes is required for transformation of primary quiescent rodent cells. Although expression of E1A alone will stimulate cell proliferation sufficient to initiate transformed focus formation, proliferation fails to be sustained and foci degenerate. Coexpression of either the 19-kDa or 55-kDa E1B oncoproteins with E1A permits high-frequency transformation by overcoming this cytotoxic response. Without E1B 19-kDa protein expression, however, transformants remain susceptible to induction of cell death. Rapid loss of viability is coincident with nucleolytic cleavage of DNA in intranucleosomal regions and chromatin condensation, hallmarks of programmed cell death (apoptosis). Furthermore, overexpression of a known suppressor of apoptosis, the Bcl-2 protooncogene, can rescue E1A-induced focus degeneration. Thus E1A-dependent stimulation of cell proliferation is accompanied by apoptosis and thereby insufficient to singly induce transformation. High-frequency transformation requires a second function encoded by the E1B 19-kDa protein to block apoptosis.
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PMID:The adenovirus E1A proteins induce apoptosis, which is inhibited by the E1B 19-kDa and Bcl-2 proteins. 145 5

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is able to specifically differentiate acute promyelocytic leukemic cells (APL) in short-term culture. Patients with APL achieved complete remission within 1-3 months by a progressive maturation of leukemic cells. The advantages of this differentiation therapy are the rapid disappearance of the bleeding disorders and the absence of aplastic phase avoiding the early deaths occurring in 15-30% of patients with conventional chemotherapy. However, relapses occurred when ATRA alone was maintained. For this reason, a chemotherapy is added after complete remission obtained by ATRA. A pilot study on 27 patients was proposed with the sequential combination of ATRA and chemotherapy. A European trial randomizes conventional therapy to the sequential ATRA-chemotherapy protocol. Retinoic acid receptor (RAR alpha) is rearranged by the specific translocation t(15;17) of APL; a PCR technique was developed in order to ensure the diagnosis and to follow the minimal residual disease. Transfection experiment of the chimaeric gene inhibits the transactivation of the natural RAR. ATRA is able to revert the arrest of maturation perhaps through an increase of the expression of the normal allele of RAR, which could overpass the impairment induced by the chimaeric protein on target responsive elements. One of the steps of the repair is the modulation of programmed cell death (PCD). Bcl-2, a gene involved in the PCD, is modulated in in vitro studies, arguing for the engagement of the cell in the natural death. The beneficial effect of differentiation therapy is probably due to the induction of the natural death of the malignant cell.
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PMID:All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) therapeutical effect in acute promyelocytic leukemia. 146 48

The bcl-2 gene, which is overexpressed in human follicular B-cell lymphomas, has been found to extend cellular lifespan through inhibition of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. However, the physiological role of the Bcl-2 protein in lymphocyte development is unclear. We have established a transgenic mouse line that expresses high levels of the Bcl-2 protein in both cortical and medullary thymocytes, disrupting the normal pattern of expression of this gene. We found that in these mice, immature thymocytes became resistant to apoptosis mediated by corticosteroids and calcium ionophores. Untreated thymocytes also exhibited a survival advantage in suspension cultures compared with controls. In addition, overexpression of bcl-2 enabled a proportion of thymocytes and peripheral T cells to escape the process of clonal deletion, which normally eliminates self-reactive T cells during thymocyte maturation. These findings implicate the Bcl-2 protein in regulating the lifespan of maturing thymocytes and in the antigenic-selection process.
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PMID:Inhibition of thymocyte apoptosis and negative antigenic selection in bcl-2 transgenic mice. 149 93

The expression of human bcl-2 gene is de-regulated by t(14;18) translocation in most of follicular lymphoma. Recent studies indicated that the bcl-2 gene product has an ability to block apoptosis of hematopoietic cells. To facilitate the analysis of the role of this gene in normal development using an animal model, we have isolated and partially characterized the chicken homologue of human bcl-2 gene. The analysis of nucleotide sequence showed that the organization of the chicken bcl-2 gene is very similar to that of human bcl-2 gene. The primary transcript is spliced to encode a 25,687 dalton (233 a.a.) protein. The chicken Bcl-2 protein has two regions highly homologous to human Bcl-2 protein surrounding a totally non-homologous region. The expression of the chicken bcl-2 gene was analyzed in various chicken tissues. In the adult chicken, bcl-2 transcripts were detected in thymus, spleen, kidney, heart, ovary and brain, with the highest levels being detected in the thymus. However, the bursa of Fabricius, which is the site of early B cell development, expressed much less amounts of bcl-2 RNA. On the other hand, in embryo, the gene is extensively expressed in the bursa, as well as in muscle and the above tissues. Our findings indicate that a homologue of the human bcl-2 gene does exist in the chicken and that its expression is developmentally regulated in some tissues.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of the chicken bcl-2 gene: expression in a variety of tissues including lymphoid and neuronal organs in adult and embryo. 150 12


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