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Bcl2 family proteins in carcinogenesis and the treatment of cancer

  • Cell Death and Disease
  • Published:
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Abstract

Deregulation of Bcl2 family members is a frequent feature of human malignant diseases and causal for therapy resistance. A number of studies have recently shed light onto the role of pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl2 family members in tumour-pathogenesis and in mediating the effects of classical as well as novel front-line anticancer agents, allowing the development of more efficient and more precisely targeted treatment regimens. Most excitingly, recent progress in our understanding of how Bcl2-like proteins maintain or perturb mitochondrial integrity has finally enabled the development of rational-design based anticancer therapies that directly target Bcl2 regulated events at the level of mitochondria. This review aims to give an overview on the most recent findings on the role of the Bcl2 family in tumour development in model systems of cancer, to relate these findings with observations made in human pathologies and drug-action.

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Acknowledgments

The work in our laboratories is supported by fellowships and grants from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): Y212-B13 START, the Doctoral College MCBO, the SFB021, the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR), EU-FP7 (ApopTrain) and the Tyrolean Science Fund (TWF). We apologize to the many scientists in this field whose excellent research was not cited but was only referred to indirectly through reviews. The authors have no competing financial interest.

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  1. Biocenter Division of Developmental Immunology, Innsbruck Medical University, Fritz-Pregl Strasse 3, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Anna Frenzel, Francesca Grespi, Waldemar Chmelewskij & Andreas Villunger

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  1. Anna Frenzel
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  2. Francesca Grespi
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  3. Waldemar Chmelewskij
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  4. Andreas Villunger
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Correspondence to Anna Frenzel or Andreas Villunger.

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Frenzel, A., Grespi, F., Chmelewskij, W. et al. Bcl2 family proteins in carcinogenesis and the treatment of cancer. Apoptosis 14, 584–596 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-008-0300-z

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