Description
B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) is the founding member of the Bcl-2 family and it is encoded by the BCL2 gene in human. Bcl-2 forms homodimer and heterodimers with other Bcl-2 family proteins, like BAX, BAK, BAD and Bcl-xL. Alternative splicing of Bcl-2 results in two isoforms with similar folds despite differences in anti-apoptotic activity. Bcl-2 suppresses apoptosis by controlling the mitochondrial membrane permeability. It inhibits caspase activity either by preventing the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria and/or by binding to the apoptosis-activating factor (APAF-1). Antibodies to Bcl-2 can be used with immunohistochemistry to identify cells containing the antigen. In some cases, the presence or absence of Bcl-2 staining in biopsies may be significant for the patients prognosis or likelihood of cancer relapse. Mature human Bcl-2 shares 88 % - 90 % amino acid sequence identity with Mouse, rat, bovine, canine Bcl-2