The Journal of Experimental Medicine
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Published online December 18, 2006
doi:10.1084/jem.20061552
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol. 203, No. 13, 2939-2951
The Rockefeller University Press, 0022-1007 $30.00
© 2006 Erlacher et al.
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ARTICLE

Puma cooperates with Bim, the rate-limiting BH3-only protein in cell death during lymphocyte development, in apoptosis induction

Miriam Erlacher1, Verena Labi1, Claudia Manzl1, Günther Böck2, Alexandar Tzankov3, Georg Häcker4, Ewa Michalak5,6, Andreas Strasser5, and Andreas Villunger1

1 Division of Developmental Immunology and 2 Division of Experimental Pathophysiology and Immunology, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
3 Institute of Pathology, University of Basel, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland
4 Institute for Medical Microbiology, Technical University of Munich, 80290 Munich, Germany
5 The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne 3050, Australia
6 Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia

CORRESPONDENCE Andreas Villunger: andreas.villunger{at}i-med.ac.at

The physiological role of B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) homology 3–only proteins has been investigated in mice lacking the individual genes identifying rate-limiting roles for Bim (Bcl-2–interacting mediator of cell death) and Puma (p53–up-regulated modulator of apoptosis) in apoptosis induction. The loss of Bim protects lymphocytes from apoptosis induced by cytokine deprivation and deregulated Ca++ flux and interferes with the deletion of autoreactive lymphocytes and the shutdown of immune responses. In contrast, Puma is considered the key mediator of p53-induced apoptosis. To investigate the hypothesis that Bim and Puma have overlapping functions, we generated mice lacking both genes and found that bim–/–/puma–/– animals develop multiple postnatal defects that are not observed in the single knockout mice. Most strikingly, hyperplasia of lymphatic organs is comparable with that observed in mice overexpressing Bcl-2 in all hemopoietic cells exceeding the hyperplasia observed in bim–/– mice. Bim and Puma also have clearly overlapping functions in p53-dependent and -independent apoptosis. Their combined loss promotes spontaneous tumorigenesis, causing the malignancies observed in Bcl-2 transgenic mice, but does not exacerbate the autoimmunity observed in the absence of Bim.


Abbreviations used: ANA, antinuclear antibody; Bad, Bcl-2 antagonist of cell death; Bak, Bcl-2 antagonist/killer; Bax, Bcl-2–associated protein X; Bcl-2, B cell lymphoma 2; BH, Bcl-2 homology; Bid, Bcl-2–interacting domain death agonist; Bim, Bcl-2–interacting mediator of cell death; Blk, Bik-like killer; Bmf, Bcl-2 modifying factor; DN, double negative; DP, double positive; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; GC, glucocorticoid; PCNA, proliferating cell nuclear antigen; PI, propidium iodide; Puma, p53–up-regulated modulator of apoptosis; SEB, Staphylococcus enterotoxin B; tg, transgenic.

M. Erlacher's present address is Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.


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