Interestingly, Bcl-xL and other anti-apoptotic proteins were induced by estrogen, a hormone that can protect neurons against neurodegenerative processes and which therapeutic application is considered for prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease (reviewed in Nilsen and Brinton, 2004). Here, BCL2L1 is linked to early-onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease.