Rabbit polyclonal antibody to Mcl~1 (S121)

B cell CLL/lymphoma~2 (Bcl~2) blocks cell death following a variety of stimuli and confers a death~sparing effect to certain hematopoietic cell lines following growth factor withdrawal. Myeloid cell leukemia~1 (Mcl~1) shares sequence homology with Bcl~2 and further resembles Bcl~2 in that its expression promotes cell viability. p53 and Mcl~1 demonstrate opposing effects on mitochondrial apoptosis by mediating Bcl~2 antagonist killer (Bak) activity. Mcl~1 is an important and specific regulator that is necessary for the homeostasis of early hematopoietic progenitors. Glycogen synthase kinase~3 (GSK~3) controls Mcl~1 stability, which has an effect on the regulation of apoptosis by growth factors PI 3~kinase and Akt. Mice with a deficiency of the Mcl~1 protein show a significant reduction in B and T lymphocytes similar to the effects observed in IL~7~ or IL~7R~deficient mice.