Alternative splicing of BCL-X and implications for treating hematological malignancies

Wanling Chen; Jinggang Li

doi:10.3892/ol.2021.12931

Alternative splicing of BCL-X and implications for treating hematological malignancies

Oncol Lett. 2021 Sep;22(3):670. doi: 10.3892/ol.2021.12931. Epub 2021 Jul 18.

Authors

Wanling Chen¹, Jinggang Li²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Medicine, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, Fujian 361023, P.R. China.
² Department of Hematology, Fujian Institute of Hematology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, P.R. China.

Abstract

BCL-X is a member of the BCL-2 family. It regulates apoptosis and plays a critical role in hematological malignancies. It is well-known that >90% of human genes undergo alternative splicing. A total of 10 distinct splicing transcripts of the BCL-X gene have been identified, including transcript variants 1-9 and ABALON. Different transcripts from the same gene have different functions. The present review discusses the progress in understanding the different alternative splicing transcripts of BCL-X, including their characteristics, functions and expression patterns. The potential use of BCL-X in targeted therapies for hematological malignancies is also discussed.

Keywords: BCL-X; alternative splicing; hematological malignancies.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The present review was sponsored by Fujian Provincial Health Technology Project of China (grant no. 2019-2-45), the Middle-aged and Young Teachers Foundation of Fujian Educational Committee in China (grant no. JAT190835), the National Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of China (grant no. 201912631003) and the Fujian Provincial Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of China (grant no. 202012631031).