Bcl XL Human, His

B-Cell Lymphoma Extra Large (Bcl-XL) is a protein that plays a crucial role in the regulation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. It is a member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, which are known for their ability to regulate cell death by either promoting or inhibiting apoptosis. The human recombinant form of Bcl-XL, tagged with a His (histidine) tag, is commonly used in research to study its structure and function.

Bcl-XL is an anti-apoptotic protein that helps in the survival of cells by inhibiting the apoptotic pathways. It is involved in the formation of heterodimers with pro-apoptotic proteins, which is a significant event in the regulation of apoptosis . The His tag is a sequence of histidine residues added to the protein to facilitate its purification and detection in laboratory experiments.

Bcl-XL is particularly important in the context of cancer research. It is known to be involved in the survival of cancer cells, making it a target for cancer therapy . By inhibiting apoptosis, Bcl-XL allows cancer cells to evade the natural cell death process, leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation.

The human recombinant form of Bcl-XL is produced in E. coli and is a single, non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing amino acids 1-210 . The His tag allows for easy purification using affinity chromatography techniques. This recombinant protein is used in various research applications to study its role in apoptosis and cancer.

Researchers use the human recombinant Bcl-XL protein to understand its structure, function, and interactions with other proteins. It is also used in drug discovery to identify potential inhibitors that can block its anti-apoptotic function, thereby promoting the death of cancer cells.