摘要：

Bcl-2 family proteins serve as critical regulators of pathways involved in apoptosis, acting to either inhibit or promote cell death. Because chemotherapeutic drugs typically exert their cytotoxic actions by inducing apoptosis, the ultimate efficacy of most anticancer drugs can be heavily influenced by the relative levels and state of activation of members of the Bcl-2 family. But how important are Bcl-2 family proteins in the overall complex picture of chemoresponses in cancer? Taking into consideration that such knowledge is far from complete, this chapter attempts to critically examine this question. It presents a discussion of some of the experimental and clinical observations that provide insights into the complexities of chemotherapeutic drug mechanisms and the role of Bcl-2 family proteins as modulators of tumor cell susceptibility to apoptosis.

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