Roles of BNIP-2 family proteins in cell dynamics control

Abstract

<P>THE RHO FAMILY OF GUANINE NUCLEOTIDE TRIPHOSPHATE (GTP)-BINDING PROTEINS CONSISTS OF RHO, RAC AND CDC42 SUBFAMILIES. THESE PROTEINS PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN MODULATING DIVERSE CYTOSKELETON-DEPENDENT CELL DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR. IN THIS STUDY, THE CLONING OF A GROUP OF BNIP-2 (BCL-2/ADENOVIRUS E1B 19KD INTERACTING PROTEIN 2) FAMILY PROTEINS, THEIR EXPRESSION PATTERNS, ROLES IN CELL DYNAMICS CONTROL AND THE UNDERLYING RHO FAMILY-RELATED MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF BNIP-2 AND BNIP-SI?! INDUCED CELL DYNAMICS WILL BE PRESENTED. </P><P>BNIP-2 REPRESENTS THE FIRST MEMBER OF A NOVEL CLASS OF PROTEINS THAT HARBORS A CONSERVED BNIP-2 AND CDC42GAP HOMOLOGY (BCH) DOMAIN IN THEIR CARBOXYL TERMINI. THE DOMAIN DEFINES A NEW MODULE THAT CONFERS HOMOPHILIC AND HETEROPHILIC INTERACTIONS. IN MY CURRENT STUDY, CDNAS FOR SEVERAL NOVEL MEMBERS OF THE BNIP-2 FAMILY PROTEINS WERE CLONED, EXPRESSED AND THEIR BIOCHEMICAL AS WELL AS CELLULAR FUNCTIONS CHARACTERIZED. THESE MEMBERS, BNIP-S, BNIP-H AND THE PROTOTYPICAL BNI