Kiefer M C, Brauer M J, Powers V C, Wu J J, Umansky S R, Tomei L D, Barr P J
LXR Biotechnology Inc., Richmond, California 94804, USA.
Nature. 1995 Apr 20;374(6524):736-9. doi: 10.1038/374736a0.
Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins are characterized by their ability to modulate cell death. Bcl-2 and some of its homologues inhibit apoptosis, whereas other family members, such as Bax, will accelerate apoptosis under certain conditions. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a complementary DNA that encodes a previously unknown Bcl-2 homologue designated Bak. Like Bax, the bak gene product primarily enhances apoptotic cell death following an appropriate stimulus. Unlike Bax, however, Bak can inhibit cell death in an Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed cell line. The widespread tissue distribution of Bak messenger RNA, including those containing long-lived, terminally differentiated cell types, suggests that cell-death-inducing activity is broadly distributed, and that tissue-specific modulation of apoptosis is controlled primarily by regulation of molecules that inhibit apoptosis.
Bcl-2蛋白家族成员的特点是能够调节细胞死亡。Bcl-2及其一些同源物可抑制细胞凋亡，而其他家族成员，如Bax，在某些条件下会加速细胞凋亡。在此，我们描述了一种互补DNA的鉴定和特征，该互补DNA编码一种此前未知的Bcl-2同源物，命名为Bak。与Bax一样，bak基因产物在受到适当刺激后主要增强凋亡性细胞死亡。然而，与Bax不同的是，Bak可在一种爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒转化的细胞系中抑制细胞死亡。Bak信使RNA在广泛的组织中分布，包括那些含有长寿命、终末分化细胞类型的组织，这表明诱导细胞死亡的活性广泛分布，并且细胞凋亡的组织特异性调节主要由抑制细胞凋亡的分子的调节来控制。
