kiaa 0271

Bcl-2-like protein 2 (BCL2L2) belongs to the Bcl-2 family. BCL2L2 is highly expressed in thebrain, spinal cord, testis, pancreas, heart, spleen, and mammary glands. BCL2L2 is a peripheral membrane protein containing three motifs, BH1, BH2 and BH4. The BH4 motif appears to be involved in the anti-apoptotic function. The BH1 and BH2 motifs form a hydrophobic groove which acts as a docking site for the BH3 domain of some pro-apoptotic proteins. BCL2L2 promotes cell survival and blocks dexamethasone-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, BCL2L2 mediates survival of postmitotic Sertoli cells by suppressing death-promoting activity of BAX.