Deficiency of pro-apoptotic Hrk attenuates programmed cell death in the developing murine nervous system but does not affect Bcl-x deficiency-induced neuron apoptosis.

The BCL-2 family includes both pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, which regulate programmed cell death during development and in response to various apoptotic stimuli. The BH3-only subgroup of pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family members is critical for the induction of apoptotic signaling, by binding to and neutralizing anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members. During embryonic development, the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-X(L) plays a critical role in the survival of neuronal populations by regulating the multi-BH domain protein BAX. In this study, the authors investigated the role of Harakiri (HRK), a relatively recently characterized BH3-only molecule in disrupting the BAX-BCL-X(L) interaction during nervous system development. Results indicate that HRK deficiency significantly reduces programmed cell death in the nervous system. However, HRK deficiency does not significantly attenuate the widespread apoptosis seen in the Bcl-x (-/-) embryonic nervous system, indicating that other BH3-only molecules, alone or in combination, may regulate BAX activation in immature neurons.