Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Examining BCL-2 Family Function with Large Unilamellar Vesicles
08:35

Examining BCL-2 Family Function with Large Unilamellar Vesicles

Published on: October 5, 2012

8.3K

The Bcl-2 Family: Ancient Origins, Conserved Structures, and Divergent Mechanisms

Suresh Banjara1, Chathura D Suraweera1, Mark G Hinds2

  • 1Department of Biochemistry & Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.

Biomolecules
|January 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family regulates intrinsic apoptosis, crucial for cell death. This review explores Bcl-2 protein evolution, structure, and interactions across diverse organisms and diseases like cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein family is central to regulating intrinsic apoptosis, a key cellular process.
  • Dysregulation of Bcl-2 proteins is implicated in diseases such as cancer and affects development, homeostasis, and immune responses.
  • Bcl-2 proteins are characterized by conserved Bcl-2 homology motifs and a transmembrane region, mediating interactions and cellular localization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms of Bcl-2 protein activity, focusing on their structures and interactions.
  • To examine the evolutionary trajectory of Bcl-2 proteins from early metazoans to complex organisms.
  • To highlight emerging insights into Bcl-2 family function from evolutionarily primitive species.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of Bcl-2 protein research across various species.
  • Analysis of conserved structural motifs (Bcl-2 homology motifs) and their functional implications.
  • Comparative analysis of Bcl-2 protein evolution and functional divergence.

Main Results:

  • Bcl-2 proteins are ancient, found in early metazoans, and have evolved diverse mechanisms for intrinsic apoptosis regulation.
  • Viral Bcl-2 homologs can subvert host immunity and apoptosis, often with divergent sequences.
  • While caspase activation is a common endpoint, evolutionary changes have led to varied intrinsic apoptosis pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding Bcl-2 protein evolution provides insights into fundamental biological processes and disease mechanisms.
  • The Bcl-2 family's ancient origins and conserved functions underscore its critical role in metazoan life.
  • Further research in evolutionarily early organisms can illuminate novel aspects of intrinsic apoptosis regulation.
Keywords:
Bcl-2apoptosisevolutionmechanismstructure analysis

More Related Videos

Identifying Protein-protein Interaction Sites Using Peptide Arrays07:44

Identifying Protein-protein Interaction Sites Using Peptide Arrays

Published on: November 18, 2014

18.4K
Pulldown Assay Coupled with Co-Expression in Bacteria Cells as a Time-Efficient Tool for Testing Challenging Protein-Protein Interactions07:03

Pulldown Assay Coupled with Co-Expression in Bacteria Cells as a Time-Efficient Tool for Testing Challenging Protein-Protein Interactions

Published on: December 23, 2022

3.5K

Related Concept Videos

Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally...
5.0K
Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

1.9K
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts01:57

Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts

Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...
2.8K
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
8.1K
Protein Families02:47

Protein Families

Protein families are groups of homologous proteins; that is, they have similarities in amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures. Protein families usually occur because of gene duplication, where an additional copy of a gene is inserted into the genome of an organism.   Mutations that change the amino acids but still allow the protein to be properly synthesized, will lead to new protein family members.   If these new proteins contain similar amino acids in key...
16.5K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
31.2K