Control of mitochondrial apoptosis by the Bcl-2 family

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is important for the development and homeostasis of tissues. Too little cell death can result in autoimmune diseases or cancer, whereas excessive cell death can lead to debilitating degenerative diseases of the heart or nervous system. The realization that apoptosis was genetically controlled first arose when it was observed that certain mutants of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans caused failure of apoptosis in cells that normally undergo this process during development (Hengartner et al., 1992). Subsequently, it was found that proteins that are encoded by the mutant genes discovered in C. elegans shared homology with mammalian proteins, including B-cell…

• LA
  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: CA068484, CA129974