Member of a family of oncogenes that is involved in tumor suppression. Bcl-2 is an oncogene that is responsible for some of the ability of certain tumors to elude the host organism's defenses. Bcl-2 suppresses apoptosis, permitting the metastasis of tumors. When referring to the protein product of the gene, the term “Bcl-2” is used.

See: apoptosis; oncogene