Viral Bcl2s’ transmembrane domain interact with host Bcl2 proteins to control cellular apoptosis

Abstract

Viral analogs of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), known as vBcl2s, control apoptosis by interacting with host pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl2 family. Here, García-Murria et al. report on transmembrane domains (TMDs) in the C-terminal hydrophobic region of herpes- and poxviral vBcl2s, which mediate homo-oligomerization and interactions with cellular Bcl2 TMDs to control apoptosis.