Bcl2 is an important pro-survival protein that has an essential function in normal immunity and whose constitutive expression leads to the development of lymphomas. Although transcriptional control of Bcl2 has been reported, increasing evidence suggests an important component of Bcl2 regulation is post-transcriptional. Phosphorylation of Bcl2 has been shown to enhance activity to allow response to extracellular growth-factor-mediated signals. Bcl2 mRNA contains regulatory elements in both its 5′- and 3′-UTRs (untranslated regions). An IRES (internal ribosome entry sequence) in the 5′-UTR permits continued translation in the presence of cellular stresses that reduce cap-dependent translation. The 3′-UTR of Bcl2 mRNA is 5.2 kb in length and contains multiple predicted miRNA (microRNA) and RNA-BP (RNA-binding protein)-binding sites. miR-15a and miR-16-1 have been found to inhibit Bcl2 expression in B-cells, whereas the RNA-BP nucleolin has been shown to increase Bcl2 expression by binding to the 3′-UTR and enhancing mRNA stability. Both decreased expression of miR-15a and miR-16-1 and increased nucleolin have been shown to be associated with increased Bcl2 expression and resistance to apoptosis in the common human disease, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. miRNA-based therapeutic approaches to treat cancer are emerging. Bcl2 is highly regulated by miRNAs and is therefore an excellent candidate for such approaches.
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December 2010
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Conference Article|
November 24 2010
Post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of Bcl2
Shaun Willimott;
Shaun Willimott
1Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building, University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 9HN, U.K.
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Simon D. Wagner
Simon D. Wagner
1
1Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building, University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 9HN, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email sw227@le.ac.uk).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
July 06 2010
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Biochemical Society
2010
Biochem Soc Trans (2010) 38 (6): 1571–1575.
Article history
Received:
July 06 2010
Citation
Shaun Willimott, Simon D. Wagner; Post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of Bcl2. Biochem Soc Trans 1 December 2010; 38 (6): 1571–1575. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0381571
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