Sayonara to some evolutionary puzzles in the Bcl‐2 family

Abstract

BH3‐only proteins are key regulators of Bcl‐2 family members to activate apoptosis. The absence of a BH3‐only protein in Drosophila has complicated the understanding of how Bcl‐2 family members contribute to cell death in this model organism. Recent work published in The EMBO Journal reports on the identification of a BH3‐only protein in flies. The reported findings may help to clarify the functional role and molecular mechanisms of the highly conserved Bcl‐2 pathway in divergent organisms.