The endoplasmic reticulum pool of Bcl-xL prevents cell death through IP3R-dependent calcium release

Apoptosis plays a role in cell homeostasis in both normal development and disease. Bcl-xL, a member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, regulates the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. It is overexpressed in several cancers. Bcl-xL has a dual subcellular localisation and is found at the mitochondria as well as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the biological significance of its ER localisation is unclear. In order to decipher the functional contributions of the mitochondrial and reticular pools of Bcl-xL, we generated genetically modified mice expressing exclusively Bcl-xL at the ER, referred to as ER-xL, or the mitochondria, referred to as Mt-xL. By performing cell death assays, we demonstrated that ER-xL MEFs show increased vulnerability to apoptotic stimuli but are more resistant to ER stress. Furthermore, ER-xL MEFs displayed reduced 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R)-mediated ER calcium release downstream of Phospholipase C activation. Collectively, our data indicate that upon ER stress, Bcl-xL negatively regulates IP3R-mediated calcium flux from the ER, which prevents ER calcium depletion and maintains the UPR and subsequent cell death in check. This work reveals a moonlighting function of Bcl-xL at the level of the ER, in addition to its well-known role in regulating apoptosis through the mitochondria.