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. 2015 Sep;2(3):225-239.
doi: 10.1016/j.gendis.2015.04.001. Epub 2015 May 5.

Bmi-1: At the crossroads of physiological and pathological biology

Resham Bhattacharya  1 , Soumyajit Banerjee Mustafi  1 , Mark Street  1 , Anindya Dey  1 , Shailendra Kumar Dhar Dwivedi  1
Affiliations

Bmi-1: At the crossroads of physiological and pathological biology

Resham Bhattacharya et al. Genes Dis. 2015 Sep.

Erratum in

Abstract

Bmi-1 is a member of the Polycomb Repressor Complex1 that mediates gene silencing by regulating chromatin structure and is indispensable for self-renewal of both normal and cancer stem cells. Despite three decades of research that have elucidated the transcriptional regulation, post-translational modifications and functions of Bmi-1 in regulating the DNA damage response, cellular bioenergetics, and pathologies, the entire potential of a protein with such varied function remains to be realized. This review attempts to synthesize the current knowledge on Bmi-1 with an emphasis on its role in both normal physiology and cancer. Additionally, since cancer stem cells are emerging as a new paradigm for therapy resistance, the role of Bmi-1 in this perspective is also highlighted. The wide spectrum of malignancies that implicate Bmi-1 as a signature for stemness and oncogenesis also make it a suitable candidate for therapy. Nonetheless new approaches are vitally needed to further characterize physiological roles of Bmi-1 with the long-term goal of using Bmi-1 as a prognostic marker and a therapeutic target.

Keywords: Aging; BMI1; Cancer; Post translational modification; Stem cell.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bmi-1 Function and Protein Structure. (A) A visual representation of the known roles of Bmi-1. (B) Graphic of the Bmi-1 protein structure. Key protein motifs are indicated along with their relative sizes and locations. (HTH – helix-turn-helix; NLS – nuclear localization signal; PEST – motif rich in proline, glutamic acid, serine, and threonine; RING – really interesting new gene).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Role of Bmi-1 in Ink4a/Arf Pathway. This figure shows how PRC1 component Bmi-1 helps in the mediation of transcriptional repression at the Ink4a/Arf locus. This mechanism leads to downstream repression of cell cycle and oncogenic pathways.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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