Discovery and Homology
In 1997, the protein Bcl-2-related ovarian killer (Bok) was identified in a yeast two-hybrid experiment with a rat ovarian cDNA library in a screen for proteins interacting with Mcl-1, an abundant anti-apoptotic protein. The overexpression of Bok induces apoptosis. Because of its high sequence similarity to Bak and Bax, Bok is classified as a member of the Bcl-2 protein family. The mouse homologue of Bok is called Matador (Mtd). This name is derived from the latin term mactator which means butcher or killer. Additionally, homologous proteins were found in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and Gallus gallus (chicken).
Read more about this topic: BOK (gene)
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