Apoptotic cell death induced by c-myc is inhibited by bcl-2

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Abstract
APOPTOSIS is a form of physiological cell death, characterized by chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic blebbing and DNA fragmentation1, which often depends on RNA and protein synthesis by the dying cell2–4. The c-myc proto-oncogene, usually implicated in cell transformation, differentiation and cell-cycle progression5–9 also has a central role in some forms of apoptosis10–13. These opposing roles of myc in cell growth and death require that other gene products dictate the outcome of c-Myc expression on a cell. A candidate for such a modifying gene is bcl-2, whose product prolongs cell survival14–16 and blocks apoptosis in some systems17–21. Here we demonstrate that Bcl-2 prevents apoptotic death induced by c-Myc, provide a mechanism whereby cells can express c-Myc without undergoing apoptosis, and give a possible explanation for the ability of Bcl-2 to synergize with c-Myc in cell transformation21–23.