Tissue expression and subcellular localization of the pro-survival molecule Bcl-w.
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O'Reilly LA, Print C, Hausmann G, Moriishi K, Cory S, Huang DC, Strasser A
Tissue expression and subcellular localization of the pro-survival molecule Bcl-w.
Cell Death Differ. 2001 May;8(5):486-94.
- PubMed ID
- 11423909 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
Anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, such as Bcl-w, maintain cell viability by preventing the activation of the cell death effectors, the caspases. Gene targeting experiments in mice have demonstrated that Bcl-w is required for spermatogenesis and for survival of damaged epithelial cells in the gut. Bcl-w is, however, dispensable for physiological cell death in other tissues. Here we report on the analysis of Bcl-w protein expression using a panel of novel monoclonal antibodies. Bcl-w is found in a diverse range of tissues including colon, brain and testes. A survey of transformed cell lines and purified hematopoietic cells demonstrated that Bcl-w is expressed in cells of myeloid, lymphoid and epithelial origin. Subcellular fractionation and confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that Bcl-w protein is associated with intracellular membranes. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of the phenotype of Bcl-w-null mice and recent data that suggest that Bcl-w may play a role in colon carcinogenesis.