TypeIprogrammedcelldeath,alsoknownasapoptosis,wasfirstdefinedintheearly1970s1andisatightlycontrolledprocessthatiscrucialfortissuehomeostasis.Theabilitytoavertapoptosisisakeycharacteristicofcancercells2.Apoptosiscanbetriggeredbyextracellularorintracellularstimuli;inrecentdecades,themolecularmechanismsunderlyingtheintrinsic3andextrinsic4apoptoticpathwayshavebeenelucidated5.Theextrinsicpathwayisactivatedinresponsetothebindingofdeathinducingligandstocellsurfacedeathreceptors.CellintrinsicapoptoticstimuliincludeDNAdamage,growthfactordeprivationandoxidativestress.Initiationoftheintrinsicpathway(FIG.1)leadstomitochondrialdepolarization,whichallowsthereleaseofcytochromec.Inturn,cytochromecbindstoapoptosisproteaseactivatingfactor1(APAF1)andprocaspase9,generatinganintracellular‘apoptosome’thatactivatescaspase9.Disruptedmitochondriaalsoproducesecondmitochondriaderivedactivatorofcaspase(SMAC;alsoknownasDIABLO),whichreleasescaspase3fromXlinkedinhibitorofapoptosis(XIAP)mediatedinhibition.Boththeextrinsicandintrinsicapoptosispathwaysconvergeoncaspase3andcaspase7,whichdrivetheterminaleventsofapoptosis5.TheBcelllymphoma2(BCL2)genefamilyencodesmorethan20proteinsthatregulatetheintrinsicapoptosispathway,andarefundamentaltothebalancebetweencellsurvivalanddeath6–8.BCL2wasinitiallydiscoveredaspartofthet(14;18)chromosomaltranslocation,whichoccursinpatientswithfollicularlymphomaanddiffuselargeBcelllymphoma(DLBCL),andleadstoelevatedBCL2transcription9,10.Althoughoriginallybelievedtoactasaclassicalgrowthdrivingoncogene,itwaslatershownthatBCL2insteadpromotesmalignantcellsurvivalbyattenuatingapoptosis11,12.MembersoftheBCL2familyaregroupedtogether,astheycontainuptofourconservedBCL2homology(BH)regions.Themultiregion(BH1–4)antiapoptoticproteinsBCL2,BCLXL(alsoknownasBCL2L1),BCLW(alsoknownasBCL2L2),myeloidcellleukaemia1(MCL1)andA1(alsoknownasBCL2A1)antagonizeproapoptoticBH3onlyproteins,andtheyinhibittheessentialapoptosiseffectorsBCL2antag...