Apoptotic blocks and chemotherapy resistance: strategies to identify Bcl-2 protein signatures

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Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics Advance Access originally

published online on February 18, 2008

Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics 2008 7(1):27-34;

doi:10.1093/bfgp/eln002

Apoptotic blocks and chemotherapy resistance: strategies to identify Bcl-2

protein signatures

Ozgur Gul, Huveyda Basaga and Ozgur Kutuk

Corresponding author. Ozgur Kutuk, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber

Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel: +1 617-582-8137; Fax: +1

617-582-8160; E-mail: ozgur_kutuk@...

Acquired or innate resistance to chemotherapy is a major drawback of cancer

therapeutics, which is frequently seen in epithelial cancers. However, the

molecular mechanisms underlying chemotherapy resistance remain poorly

understood. The mitochondrial pathway is a critical death pathway common to many

different types of chemotherapy. Aberrations in this pathway can result in

resistance to chemotherapy. The Bcl-2 family of proteins control commitment to

programmed cell death by mitochondrial apoptosis. In this review, we will

summarize the strategies in determining the components of apoptotic defects

responsible for chemotherapy resistance, mainly focused on Bcl-2 protein

network.