Review Article

The Role of BCL2 Family of Apoptosis Regulator Proteins in Acute and Chronic Leukemias

Table 1

This table summarizes the general findings regarding BCL2 family members in each type of leukemia.

Type of LeukemiaBCL2 family members involved in diseaseCorrelation with overall survival and outcome

ALLHigh levels: BCL2, BAX, MCL-1No correlation
↑MCL-1 → resistance to chemotherapy

AMLHigh levels: BCL2, BCL-XL, BAD, BCL2/BAX ratio especially in M4,M5,M6 subtypes and in CD34+ blasts↑BCL2 and FAS → no correlation
↑BAD and BAX, ↑BCL2/BAX ratio → worse outcome

CLLHigh levels: BCL2, BCL-W, BAD, BAK, BAX, BCL2/BAX ratioConflicting results
No participation of BIK and BCL-XL↑MCL-1, ↑BAX, ↑BAG-1 ↑BCL2 → resistance to chemotherapy

CMLHigh levels: MCL-1, BCL2 Low levels of BIMBCL2: key protein in disease progression