該基因編碼bcl-2蛋白家族的一個成員。這個家族成員屬于BH3唯一的促凋亡亞類。該蛋白與直接激活蛋白協同作用，誘導線粒體外膜通透性和凋亡。它能與抗凋亡的bcl-2家族成員結合，誘導線粒體功能障礙和caspase活化。由于其促凋亡的作用，該基因是腫瘤治療和組織損傷的潛在藥物靶點。選擇性剪接導致多個轉錄變體。[由RefSeq提供，2011年12月]
This gene encodes a member of the BCL-2 family of proteins. This family member belongs to the BH3-only pro-apoptotic subclass. The protein cooperates with direct activator proteins to induce mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and apoptosis. It can bind to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation. Because of its pro-apoptotic role, this gene is a potential drug target for cancer therapy and for tissue injury. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2011]