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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Mapping the Structure-Function Relationships of Disordered Oncogenic Transcription Factors Using Transcriptomic Analysis
Published on: June 27, 2020
Transcriptional activation of the proapoptotic bik gene by E2F proteins in cancer cells
Pedro J Real1, Cristina Sanz, Olga Gutierrez
1Unidad de Genetica Molecular, Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, Av. Valdecilla s/n, 39008 Santander, Spain.
Abstract:
BH3-only proteins are required for execution of apoptotic cell death. We have found that one of these proteins, Bik, is strongly induced in cancer cells treated with chemotherapeutic agents. Furthermore, we showed that chemotherapy-induced expression of bik is independent of p53. Consistent with its pro-apoptotic activity, blockade of bik expression reduces the adriamycin-mediated apoptotic cell death. We also found that the bik gene is transcriptionally activated by E2F proteins. Consistently, adriamycin induces the E2F-bik pathway. In addition, E2Fs transactivate bik by a p53-independent mechanism. Thus, our data indicate that transcriptional regulation of bik contributes to the efficient apoptotic response to chemotherapeutic agents.
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