Functional screening of genes suppressing TRAIL-induced apoptosis: distinct inhibitory activities of Bcl-XL and Bcl-2
2003

Bcl-XL and Bcl-2 in Cancer Cell Death

Sample size: 7 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): In-Ki Kim, Yong-Ki Jung, Dong-Yun Noh, Yong-Soo Song, Chul-Ho Choi, Byung-Hoon Oh, Masuda E S

Primary Institution: Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Hypothesis

Increased expression of Bcl-XL in breast cancer cells inhibits TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Conclusion

Bcl-XL is significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues and effectively suppresses TRAIL-induced apoptosis in various tumor cell lines.

Supporting Evidence

  • Bcl-XL was found to be upregulated 4-5 fold in breast cancer tissues compared to normal tissues.
  • Jurkat32H cells expressing Bcl-XL showed resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.
  • Western blot analysis indicated that Bcl-XL expression was significantly higher in cancer tissues than in normal tissues.

Takeaway

This study found that a protein called Bcl-XL helps cancer cells survive by stopping them from dying when treated with a substance that usually kills cancer cells.

Methodology

The study involved functional screening of a cDNA library to isolate genes that inhibit TRAIL-induced apoptosis, followed by various assays including Western blotting and flow cytometry.

Limitations

The study primarily focused on specific cell lines and may not fully represent the complexity of TRAIL responses in all breast cancer types.

Participant Demographics

Patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/sj.bjc.6600795

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