Hardwick J M, Bellows D S
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Cell Death Differ. 2003 Jan;10 Suppl 1:S68-76. doi: 10.1038/sj.cdd.4401133.
All gamma herpesviruses and a few other viruses encode at least one homologue of the mammalian cell death inhibitor BCL-2. Gamma herpesviruses are associated with human and animal lymphoid and epithelial tumours. However, the role of these viral BCL-2 homologues in the virus replication cycle or in human disease is not known, though recent developments show progress in this area. The structure of viral BCL-2 family protein, KSBcl-2, is similar to that of cellular family members, but viral BCL-2 proteins differ functionally from the cellular proteins, apparently escaping the regulatory mechanisms to which their cellular counterparts are subjected. Thus, exploring the biochemical and biological functions of the viral BCL-2 family proteins will increase our understanding of their role in virus infections and will undoubtedly teach us something about their cellular kin.
所有的γ疱疹病毒和其他一些病毒至少编码一种哺乳动物细胞死亡抑制因子BCL-2的同源物。γ疱疹病毒与人类和动物的淋巴及上皮肿瘤有关。然而，这些病毒BCL-2同源物在病毒复制周期或人类疾病中的作用尚不清楚，不过最近的进展表明在这一领域取得了一些成果。病毒BCL-2家族蛋白KSBcl-2的结构与细胞家族成员相似，但病毒BCL-2蛋白在功能上与细胞蛋白不同，显然逃避了其细胞对应物所受的调控机制。因此，探索病毒BCL-2家族蛋白的生化和生物学功能将增进我们对它们在病毒感染中作用的理解，而且无疑会让我们对它们的细胞同类有所了解。
