biology help!!?

Question

2. If a cell contains the following mutation will apoptosis be enhanced or inhibited?

(a) A mutant that has Bcl-2 knocked out.



(b) A mutant that has a constitutively active form of Caspase 9.



(c) A mutant that constitutively expresses Bcl-2.



(d) A mutant whose Apaf1 cannot bind Cytochrome C



(e) A mutant that has a constitutively active form of Caspase 3.

Answer 1

This is a great question, luckily I've read several papers on this.

a) Enhance, because the knock out will not be able to inhibit cytochrome c from entering the cell much more rapidly from the mitochondrion.

b) Enhance, since caspace 9 is active death will occur quicker than if not.

c) Inhibit, see A.

d) Inhibit since the joining of Apaf1 (the adaptor protein) and BCL-2 create the first cleavage of capsace from the proform.

e) Enhance because an active form also promotes death.

Hope this helps!