Description
Product Characteristics:
Potent inhibitor of cell death. Inhibits activation of caspases. Appears to regulate cell death by blocking the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) by binding to it and preventing the release of the caspase activator, CYC1, from the mitochondrial membrane. Also acts as a regulator of G2 checkpoint and progression to cytokinesis during mitosis. Isoform Bcl-X(L) also regulates presynaptic plasticity, including neurotransmitter release and recovery, number of axonal mitochondria as well as size and number of synaptic vesicle clusters. During synaptic stimulation, increases ATP availability from mitochondria through regulation of mitochondrial membrane ATP synthase F(1)F(0) activity and regulates endocytic vesicle retrieval in hippocampal neurons through association with DMN1L and stimulation of its GTPase activity in synaptic vesicles. Isoform Bcl-X(S) promotes apoptosis.
Subcellular location: Cytoplasm, Nucleus, Cell membrane
Synonyms: BCLX, BCL2L, BCLXL, BCLXS, Bcl-X, bcl-xL, bcl-xS, PPP1R52, BCL-XL/S, Bcl-2-like protein 1, Bcl2-L-1, Apoptosis regulator Bcl-X, BCL2L1
Target Information: The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the BCL-2 protein family. BCL-2 family members form hetero- or homodimers and act as anti- or pro-apoptotic regulators that are involved in a wide variety of cellular activities. The proteins encoded by this gene are located at the outer mitochondrial membrane, and have been shown to regulate outer mitochondrial membrane channel (VDAC) opening. VDAC regulates mitochondrial membrane potential, and thus controls the production of reactive oxygen species and release of cytochrome C by mitochondria, both of which are the potent inducers of cell apoptosis. Two alternatively spliced transcript variants, which encode distinct isoforms, have been reported. The longer isoform acts as an apoptotic inhibitor and the shorter form acts as an apoptotic activator. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]