Although many studies have investigated the pro- and anti-apoptotic functions of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, it has been found that the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL molecules also have a role in the cell cycle. It has been shown that cells that overexpress either Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL exhibit enhanced cell cycle arrest upon serum starvation or contact inhibition. The characteristic cell cycle arrest phenotype observed in Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL expressing cells resembles the autophagy-induced cell cycle arrest. In this study we investigated whether the enhanced arrest phenotype observed in Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expressing cells is in part due to an enhanced autophagic response. During arrest conditions we treated cells with 3-methyladenine (3-MA), commonly used to inhibit autophagy, to determine whether Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL could still induce an enhanced arrest. We found that Bcl-xL expressing cells are not able to arrest effectively in G0 in the presence of 3-MA. This finding did not appear to be true for Bcl-2. These studies suggest that Bcl-xL mediates enhanced arrest in part through autophagy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-03302007-143206 |
| Date | 14 April 2007 |
| Creators | Valentin-Santiago, Mayda |
| Contributors | Pran Datta, Elizabeth Yang |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-03302007-143206/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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