Abstract
The t(14;18)(q32;q21) found in the follicular B cell lymphomas is the most common translocation associated with human lymphoid malignancies (Fukuhara 1979, Yunis 1987). Molecular cloning of the t(14;18) chromosomal breakpoint revealed a proto-oncogene Bcl-2 at 18q21 (Tsujimoto 1985,Bakhshi 1985, Cleary, 1985). Translocation creates a Bcl-2-Ig fusion gene that is markedly deregulated resulting in inappropriately elevated levels of Bcl-2-Ig RNA and the 25 kd Bci-2 protein (Graninger 1987, Seto 1988). Bcl-2 is a novel oncogene which extends cell survival by inhibiting a variety of apoptotic deaths (Vaux 1988, Hockenbery 1990, Nunez 1990). Deregulated expression of Bcl-2 in either Bcl-2-Ig (McDonnell 1990) or lckpr-Bcl-2 (Sentman 1991, Strasser 1991) transgenic models induce B or T cell lymphomas by blocking apoptosis and extending cell survival. Conversely, bcl-2 gene ablation results in fulminant lymphocyte death, as well as polycystic kidney disease and hair hypopigmentation. This documents a normal physiological role for Bcl-2 in maitaining homeostasis of lymphocytes (Veis 1993). Recently, a family of Bcl-2-related proteins has been defined which includes Bcl-xL, another mammalian gene that represses apoptosis (Boise 1993), and Ced-9, a Bcl-2 homolog found in C. elegans that inhibits programmed cell death in the worm (Hengartner 1994a). Interestingly, a new member found in mammalian cells, Bax, does not protect cells from apoptosis.
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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Yin, XM., Oltvai, Z.N., Korsmeyer, S.J. (1995). Heterodimerization with Bax is Required for Bcl-2 to Repress Cell Death. In: Potter, M., Melchers, F. (eds) Mechanisms in B-Cell Neoplasia 1994. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 194. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79275-5_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79275-5_38
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