Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• de Ridder, Ian
• Kerkhofs, Martijn
• Veettil, Santhini Pulikkal
• Dehaen, Wim
• Bultynck, Geert

Titel

Cancer cell death strategies by targeting Bcl-2's BH4 domain

Ist Teil von

• Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular cell research, 2021-04, Vol.1868 (5), p.118983-118983, Article 118983

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

EZB-FREE-00999 freely available EZB journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The Bcl-2-family proteins have long been known for their role as key regulators of apoptosis. Overexpression of various members of the family is associated with oncogenesis. Its founding member, anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 regulates cell death at different levels, whereby Bcl-2 emerged as a major drug target to eradicate cancers through cell death. This resulted in the development of venetoclax, a Bcl-2 antagonist that acts as a BH3 mimetic. Venetoclax already entered the clinic to treat relapse chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. Here, we discuss the role of Bcl-2 as a decision-maker in cell death with focus on the recent advances in anti-cancer therapeutics that target the BH4 domain of Bcl-2, thereby interfering with non-canonical functions of Bcl-2 in Ca2+-signaling modulation. In particular, we critically discuss previously developed tools, including the peptide BIRD-2 (Bcl-2/IP3R-disrupter-2) and the small molecule BDA-366. In addition, we present a preliminary analysis of two recently identified molecules that emerged from a molecular modeling approach to target Bcl-2's BH4 domain, which however failed to induce cell death in two Bcl-2-dependent diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell models. Overall, antagonizing the non-canonical functions of Bcl-2 by interfering with its BH4-domain biology holds promise to elicit cell death in cancer, though improved tools and on-target antagonizing small molecules remain necessary and ought to be designed. •Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 prevents cell death through its mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum functions.•Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 via its BH4 domain prevents pro-apoptotic, IP3 receptor-driven Ca2+ signaling.•Tools that target Bcl-2’s BH4 domain such as BIRD-2 elicit cell death in several cancer cell types and are complementary with BH3 mimetics.•BDA-366 was proposed as the first small molecule BH4-domain antagonist, yet triggers cell death independently of Bcl-2.•The first bona fide BH4-domain antagonist small molecule still needs to emerge.