The Bcl-2 and Bcl-x proteins suppress programmed cell death, whereas Bax promotes apoptosis. We investigated the pattern of expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Bcl-x during neuronal differentiation and development. All three proteins were widely expressed in neonatal rats but, in the adult, Bax levels were 20- to 140-fold lower in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and heart muscle, whereas Bcl-x was not...

The TNF-α serum level increases after rhabdomyolysis and is involved in the subsequent cardiorenal injury. In the present study, we investigated the TNF-α-dependent cell signaling pathways implicated in cellular injury in these organs. Rhabdomyolysis was induced by intramuscular glycerol injection in rats. Renal function, cardiac and renal pathology, and activation of caspases were evaluated du...

Calcium homeostasis balances passive calcium leak and active calcium uptake. Human Bax inhibitor-1 (hBI-1) is an antiapoptotic protein that mediates a calcium leak and is representative of a highly conserved and widely distributed family, the transmembrane Bax inhibitor motif (TMBIM) proteins. Here, we present crystal structures of a bacterial homolog and characterize its calcium leak activity....

Cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion injury (CIRI) refers to the phenomenon that ischemic of brain leads cells, which is further aggravated after recovery blood reperfusion. Dihydromyricetin (DHM) has an effective therapeutic effect on vascular diseases; however, its role in CIRI not been investigated. The oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) cell model was used HT22 hippocampal neuron...

Cellular sensitivity to apoptotic stimuli is determined by several regulatory proteins. The biological and biomedical impact of these regulatory proteins is of fundamental importance for understanding and controlling apoptotic processes. We used a bioinformatic approach to characterise the antiapoptotic protein Lifeguard (LFG). LFG is an evolutionarily well-conserved protein with homologues in ...

Apoptosis mediated by Bax or Bak is usually thought to be triggered by BH3-only members of the Bcl-2 protein family. BH3-only proteins can directly bind to and activate Bax or Bak, or indirectly activate them by binding to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, thereby relieving their inhibition of Bax and Bak. Here we describe a third way of activation of Bax/Bak dependent apoptosis that does no...