Modulation of apoptosis by the widely distributed Bcl-2 homologue Bak.
Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins are characterized by their ability to modulate cell death. Bcl-2 and some of its homologues inhibit apoptosis, whereas other family members, such as Bax, will accelerate apoptosis under certain conditions. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a complementary DNA that encodes a previously unknown Bcl-2 homologue designated Bak. Like Bax, the bak gene product primarily enhances apoptotic cell death following an appropriate stimulus. Unlike Bax, however, Bak can inhibit cell death in an Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed cell line. The widespread tissue distribution of Bak messenger RNA, including those containing long-lived, terminally differentiated cell types, suggests that cell-death-inducing activity is broadly distributed, and that tissue-specific modulation of apoptosis is controlled primarily by regulation of molecules that inhibit apoptosis.[1]References
- Modulation of apoptosis by the widely distributed Bcl-2 homologue Bak. Kiefer, M.C., Brauer, M.J., Powers, V.C., Wu, J.J., Umansky, S.R., Tomei, L.D., Barr, P.J. Nature (1995) [Pubmed]
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