Figure 1.

Bcl-2 is a key cellular regulator of both autophagy and apoptosis. Bcl-2 directly interacts with the essential autophagy modulator Beclin 1 to suppresses autophagy. Bcl-2 also suppresses apoptosis through binding to the proapoptotic protein Bax on the mitochondrion. Nonselective small molecules release Bcl-2-mediated inhibition of both autophagy and apoptosis. In contrast, small molecules that specifically target Bcl-2–Beclin 1 would be expected to activate autophagy without inducing apoptosis.