• Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), encoded in humans by the BCL2 gene, is the founding member of the Bcl-2 family of regulator proteins that regulate cell death (apoptosis), by either inhibiting (anti-apoptotic) or inducing (pro-apoptotic) apoptosis. (wikipedia.org)
  • Over-expression of anti-apoptotic genes, and under-expression of pro-apoptotic genes, can result in the lack of cell death that is characteristic of cancer. (wikipedia.org)
  • The over-expression of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein in lymphocytes alone does not cause cancer. (wikipedia.org)
  • Other studies have shown that dendritic cell lifespan may be partly controlled by a timer dependent on anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. (wikipedia.org)
  • The inactive form of BAK1 is maintained by the protein's interactions with VDAC2, Mtx2, and other anti-apoptotic members of the BCL2 protein family. (wikipedia.org)
  • The pro-apoptotic proteins in the BCL-2 family, including Bax and Bak, normally act on the mitochondrial membrane to promote permeabilization and release of cytochrome c and ROS, that are important signals in the apoptosis cascade. (wikipedia.org)
  • This protein localizes to mitochondria, and functions to induce apoptosis. (wikipedia.org)
  • BAK1 is also involved in the HIV replication pathway, as the virus induces apoptosis in T cells via Casp8p41, which activates BAK to carry out membrane permeabilization, leading to cell death. (wikipedia.org)
  • BCL-2 is known to regulate mitochondrial dynamics, and is involved in the regulation of mitochondrial fusion and fission. (wikipedia.org)
  • BCL-2 is localized to the outer membrane of mitochondria, where it plays an important role in promoting cellular survival and inhibiting the actions of pro-apoptotic proteins. (wikipedia.org)
  • In follicular lymphoma, a chromosomal translocation commonly occurs between the fourteenth and the eighteenth chromosomes - t(14;18) - which places the Bcl-2 gene from chromosome 18 next to the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus on chromosome 14. (wikipedia.org)
  • Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BAK1 gene on chromosome 6. (wikipedia.org)
  • Bcl-2 derives its name from B-cell lymphoma 2, as it is the second member of a range of proteins initially described in chromosomal translocations involving chromosomes 14 and 18 in follicular lymphomas. (wikipedia.org)
  • Some evidence suggests that this may result from abnormal expression of Bcl-2 and increased expression of caspase-3. (wikipedia.org)
  • Damage to the Bcl-2 gene has been identified as a cause of a number of cancers, including melanoma, breast, prostate, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and lung cancer, and a possible cause of schizophrenia and autoimmunity. (wikipedia.org)
  • This fusion gene is deregulated, leading to the transcription of excessively high levels of Bcl-2. (wikipedia.org)
  • The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the BCL2 protein family. (wikipedia.org)
  • As a member of the BCL2 protein family, BAK1 functions as a pro-apoptotic regulator involved in a wide variety of cellular activities. (wikipedia.org)
  • Levels of jasmonate play a key role in the decision between cell acclimation or cell death in response to elevated levels of this reactive oxygen species. (wikipedia.org)
  • Cancer can be seen as a disturbance in the homeostatic balance between cell growth and cell death. (wikipedia.org)
  • Cell Death and Differentiation. (wikipedia.org)
  • Oxidized products of β-carotene arising from the presence of singlet oxygen act as second messengers that can either protect against singlet oxygen induced toxicity or initiate programmed cell death. (wikipedia.org)
  • The same design principle has been applied to inhibit protein-protein interactions involved in cancer and can be used for any interaction mediated by a helical motif. (wikipedia.org)
  • Bcl-2 expression is frequent in small cell lung cancer, accounting for 76% cases in one study. (wikipedia.org)
  • However, results in the ability of these isoforms to bind to the BAD and BAK proteins, as well as in the structural topology and electrostatic potential of the binding groove, suggest differences in antiapoptotic activity for the two isoforms. (wikipedia.org)
  • Photoswitchable peptides to inhibit protein-protein interactions in a light-controlled manner have been developed and applied to inhibit clathrin-mediated endocytosis in mammalian cells and in yeast. (wikipedia.org)
  • Antibodies to Bcl-2 can be used with immunohistochemistry to identify cells containing the antigen. (wikipedia.org)
  • TSAs can be products of oncoviruses like E6 and E7 proteins of human papillomavirus, occurring in cervical carcinoma, or EBNA-1 protein of EBV, occurring in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. (wikipedia.org)
  • But simultaneous over-expression of Bcl-2 and the proto-oncogene myc may produce aggressive B-cell malignancies including lymphoma. (wikipedia.org)
  • Peroxynitrite (ONO−2) results from the reaction of superoxide and nitric oxide. (wikipedia.org)