BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa protein-interacting protein 3 is a protein found in humans that is encoded by the BNIP3 gene.[5]
BNIP3 is a member of the apoptotic Bcl-2 protein family. It can induce cell death while also assisting with cell survival. Like many of the Bcl-2 family proteins, BNIP3 modulates the permeability state of the outer mitochondrial membrane by forming homo- and hetero-oligomers inside the membrane.[6] Upregulation results in a decrease in mitochondrial potential, an increase in reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial swelling and fission, and an increase in mitochondrial turnover via autophagy.[7] Sequence similarity with Bcl-2 family members was not detected. Humans and other animals (Drosophila, Caenorhabditis), as well as lower eukaryotes (Dictyostelium, Trypanosoma, Cryptosporidium, Paramecium) encode several BNIP3 paralogues including the human NIP3L, which induces apoptosis by interacting with viral and cellular anti-apoptosis proteins.
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