{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "35be6ff1f4b1470dbb8b410f7082b5c7", "timestamp": "2026-03-09T08:37:18.879Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/35be6ff1f4b1470dbb8b410f7082b5c7.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/35be6ff1f4b1470dbb8b410f7082b5c7"}}, "title": "Neutron reflectometry and NMR spectroscopy of full-length Bcl-2 protein reveal its membrane localization and conformation.", "authors": [{"family": "Mushtaq", "given": "Ameeq Ul", "initials": "AU", "orcid": "0000-0002-5636-2567", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/d8b77280f8a9463a9af768275bc80ae9.json"}}, {"family": "\u00c5d\u00e9n", "given": "J\u00f6rgen", "initials": "J", "orcid": "0000-0002-4480-1219", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/00206abad0de45eb90dc6bd3d5f3cf22.json"}}, {"family": "Clifton", "given": "Luke A", "initials": "LA", "orcid": "0000-0001-8754-362X", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/e26f83508bc7451a9d66123eb9ea747c.json"}}, {"family": "Wacklin-Knecht", "given": "Hanna", "initials": "H"}, {"family": "Campana", "given": "Mario", "initials": "M"}, {"family": "Dingeldein", "given": "Artur P G", "initials": "APG"}, {"family": "Persson", "given": "Cecilia", "initials": "C", "orcid": "0000-0001-6663-6536", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/5fb6fe3555374aec90b2a8b9dfd8016b.json"}}, {"family": "Sparrman", "given": "Tobias", "initials": "T", "orcid": "0000-0002-4442-6367", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/f0d27dbd2f014795b1f7aa164d34bada.json"}}, {"family": "Gr\u00f6bner", "given": "Gerhard", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0001-7380-8797", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/85bd86ebc85d4653bc880bc9be25bc80.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2021-04-27", "journal": {"title": "Commun Biol", "issn": "2399-3642", "volume": "4", "issue": "1", "pages": "507", "issn-l": "2399-3642"}, "abstract": "B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) proteins are the main regulators of mitochondrial apoptosis. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins possess a hydrophobic tail-anchor enabling them to translocate to their target membrane and to shift into an active conformation where they inhibit pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins to ensure cell survival. To address the unknown molecular basis of their cell-protecting functionality, we used intact human Bcl-2 protein natively residing at the mitochondrial outer membrane and applied neutron reflectometry and NMR spectroscopy. Here we show that the active full-length protein is entirely buried into its target membrane except for the regulatory flexible loop domain (FLD), which stretches into the aqueous exterior. The membrane location of Bcl-2 and its conformational state seems to be important for its cell-protecting activity, often infamously upregulated in cancers. Most likely, this situation enables the Bcl-2 protein to sequester pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins at the membrane level while sensing cytosolic regulative signals via its FLD region.", "doi": "10.1038/s42003-021-02032-1", "pmid": "33907308", "labels": {"Swedish NMR Centre": "Collaborative"}, "xrefs": [{"db": "pii", "key": "10.1038/s42003-021-02032-1"}, {"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC8079415"}], "notes": [], "created": "2021-07-02T14:10:45.578Z", "modified": "2025-10-17T13:03:55.993Z"}