Restoring cancer's death sentence.

In this issue of Cancer Cell, two groups present data on the function of an antagonist of BCL-2, ABT-737. Both groups find that expression of MCL-1, an antiapoptotic protein related to BCL-2, is a key determinant of resistance to ABT-737. Lowering MCL-1 levels is an effective adjunct to BCL-2 antagonism, and both groups suggest ways that this might be accomplished practically in a clinical setting. The mechanism by which ABT-737 selectively kills cancer cells is discussed below in the context of these and prior reports of ABT-737's function. Antagonism of BCL-2 is an exciting anticancer strategy that may soon become a clinical reality.