Abstract
All gamma herpesviruses and a few other viruses encode at least one homologue of the mammalian cell death inhibitor BCL-2.Gammaherpesviruses are associatedwith human and animal lymphoid and epithelial tumours. However, the role of these viral BCL-2 homologues in the virus replication cycle or in human disease is not known, though recent developments showprogress in this area. The structure of viral BCL-2 family protein, KSBcl-2, is similar to that of cellular family members, but viral BCL-2 proteins differ functionally from the cellular proteins, apparently escaping the regulatory mechanisms to which their cellular counterparts are subjected. Thus, exploring the biochemical and biological functions of the viral BCL-2 family proteins will increase our understanding of their role in virus infections and will undoubtedly teach us something about their cellular kin.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | S68-S76 |
Journal | Cell death and differentiation |
Volume | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- Bax
- Bcl-2
- Bhrf1
- Epstein-Barr virus (ebv)
- Herpesvirus
- Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)
- Ksbcl-2
- Virus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology