BCL2-like 13, also known as BCL2L13 or Bcl-rambo, is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 which in humans is encoded by the BCL2L13 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

Bcl-rambo is a member of the Bcl-2

Bcl-2

Bcl-2 is the founding member of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulator proteins encoded by the BCL2 gene. Bcl-2 derives its name from B-cell lymphoma 2, as it is the second member of a range of proteins initially described in chromosomal translocations involving chromosomes 14 and 18 in...

 family of proteins that regulate apoptosis

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

. In cells, Bcl-rambo is localized to the mitochondria, and its overexpression induces apoptosis that is blocked by caspase

Caspase

Caspases, or cysteine-aspartic proteases or cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases are a family of cysteine proteases that play essential roles in apoptosis , necrosis, and inflammation....

 inhibitors, whereas inhibitors controlling upstream events of either the 'death receptor' (FLIP

CFLAR

CASP8 and FADD-like apoptosis regulator is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CFLAR gene. Also called FLICE-like inhibitory protein .-Further reading:...

, FADD-DN

FADD

Fas-Associated protein with Death Domain is an adaptor molecule that bridges the Fas-receptor, and other death receptors, to caspase-8 through its death domain to form the death-inducing signaling complex during apoptosis. -Signalling:...

) or the 'mitochondrial' pro-apoptotic pathway (Bcl-x(L)) had no effect.

Further reading