Bcl-2 family proteins are essential for platelet survival

The bcl-2 family of proteins.

The bcl-2 family of proteins play an important role in the control of apoptosis. Family members exist which are either pro- or anti-apoptotic and their activity appears to control a checkpoint between signals from the cell surface and activation of the ICE-family of proteases. Despite having a key role to play in apoptosis, the mechanism of action of these proteins can only, at present, be infe...

BH3-only proteins - evolutionarily conserved proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members essential for initiating programmed cell death.

The BH3-only members of the Bcl-2 protein family are essential initiators of programmed cell death and are required for apoptosis induced by cytotoxic stimuli. These proteins have evolved to recognise distinct forms of cell stress. In response, they unleash the apoptotic cascade by inactivating the protective function of the pro-survival members of the Bcl-2 family and by activating the Bax/Bax...

Proapoptotic bcl-2 family members, Bax and Bak, are essential for developmental photoreceptor apoptosis.

PURPOSE Apoptosis has been implicated in retinal development and degeneration, but the specific apoptotic pathways used are incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize the roles in retinal development of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members Bax and Bak. METHODS Eyes from mice at postnatal day (P)7, during the peak of developmental apoptosis in the retina, were proc...

Mechanisms of Action of Bcl-2 Family Proteins Subject Collection Cell Survival and Cell Death Mechanisms of Action of Bcl-2 Family Proteins

The Bcl-2 family of proteins: regulators of cell death and survival.

The Bcl-2 protein inhibits apoptosis induced by a variety of signals, in a range of cell types and in diverse organisms, and it is implicated in both normal development and oncogenesis. Despite this central role, the mechanism of action of Bcl-2 is not yet clear. Recent studies have uncovered a number of Bcl-2-related gene products that regulate apoptosis either negatively or positively, and Bc...