Anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members in development

Almost 30 years ago it was first appreciated that anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) prevents the induction of apoptosis not only in malignant cells, but also in normal cellular lineages. This critical observation has rapidly evolved from merely identifying new BCL-2 family members to understanding how their biochemical interactions trigger the cell death process, and, more recently, to pharmacological inhibition of anti-apoptotic BCL-2 function in disease. Indeed, the proper regulation of apoptosis is important in many aspects of life including development, homeostasis, and disease biology. To better understand these processes, scientists have used many tools to assess the contribution of individual anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members. This review will focus on the prominent roles for BCL-2 and other pro-survival family members in promoting the development of mammals during early embryogenesis, neurogenesis, and hematopoiesis.