Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1951289 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research 2008 17 Pages PDF
Abstract

The finding that the heterologous expression of Bcl-2 proteins in yeast elicits effects that resemble their roles in metazoan apoptosis has contributed to the increasing use of this organism as a model for the study of apoptotic regulation. The pro-apoptotic Bax protein, for example, localizes to the yeast mitochondria, where it acts to promote alterations in mitochondrial physiology and cell death, similar to its ascribed mode of action in higher organisms. These observations lead to the hypothesis that the heterologous Bcl-2 proteins impinge on conserved elements of the apoptotic machinery in yeast. We herein provide a retrospective of the studies aimed at both testing this general hypothesis and investigating the mechanisms of the Bcl-2 proteins using yeast, with a particular emphasis on Bax. We also discuss the evidence for pleiotropic roles of Bax in yeast apoptosis.

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