Cited by 3,988Cell death mechanisms and regulationMitochondrial Function and PathologyAutophagy in Disease and Therapy

Proapoptotic BAX and BAK: A Requisite Gateway to Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Death

Open access
Wei, Michael C., Zong, Wei-Xing, Cheng, Emily H.-Y., Lindsten, Tullia, Panoutsakopoulou, Vily, Ross, Andrea J., Roth, Kevin A., MacGregor, Grant R. +2 more·2001·Science

Abstract

Multiple death signals influence mitochondria during apoptosis, yet the critical initiating event for mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo has been unclear. tBID, the caspase-activated form of a “BH3-domain–only” BCL-2 family member, triggers the homooligomerization of “multidomain” conserved proapoptotic family members BAK or BAX, resulting in the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. We find that cells lacking both Bax and Bak , but not cells lacking only one of these components, are completely resistant to tBID-induced cytochrome c release and apoptosis. Moreover, doubly deficient cells are resistant to multiple apoptotic stimuli that act through disruption of mitochondrial function: staurosporine, ultraviolet radiation, growth factor deprivation, etoposide, and the endoplasmic reticulum stress stimuli thapsigargin and tunicamycin. Thus, activation of a “multidomain” proapoptotic member, BAX or BAK, appears to be an essential gateway to mitochondrial dysfunction required for cell death in response to diverse stimuli.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.1059108

Cites

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  • Co-deletion of Bax and Bak1 renders a large panel of cell types profoundly resistant to diverse lethal stimuli.

    “Confirming the essential role of BCL2 family members for MOMP and the high degree of overlap between the machineries responsible for stress-driven RCD and PCD, the co-deletion of Bax and Bak1 not only renders a large panel of cell types profoundly resistant to diverse lethal stimuli [74]”
  • BID, BIM, PUMA, and NOXA share the ability to physically interact with the mitochondrial pool of BAX and/or BAK to promote conformational changes culminating with dissociation of the core and latch domains of BCL2 effectors.

    “BID, BIM, PUMA, and NOXA share the ability to physically (but transiently) interact with the mitochondrial pool of BAX and/or BAK (hence being known as “activators”) to promote a series of conformational changes [59, 64, 67, 71–74] culminating with the dissociation of the core and latch domains of BCL2 effectors [75–77].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [9]Wei MC, et al. Genes Dev. 2000;14:2060. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. [15]Lindsten T, et al. Mol. Cell. 2000;6:1380. [Google Scholar]
  3. [30]Zhu W, et al. EMBO J. 1996;15:4130. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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Authors
Wei, M. C., Zong, W.-X., Cheng, E. H.-Y., Lindsten, T., Panoutsakopoulou, V., Ross, A. J., Roth, K. A., MacGregor, G. R., Thompson, C. B., & Korsmeyer, S. J.
Affiliations
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Emory University (US)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
Corresponding author
  • Wei, Michael C.
  • Zong, Wei-Xing
  • Thompson, Craig B.
  • Korsmeyer, Stanley J.
Venue
Science
Published
2001-04-27
Volume
292
Issue
5517
Pages
727-730
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W1984547206
Cited by
3,988
References
34
Citations by year
2026: 65 · 2025: 76 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 98 · 2022: 91 · 2021: 103 · 2020: 105 · 2019: 111 · 2018: 110 · 2017: 146 · 2016: 137 · 2015: 171 · 2014: 154 · 2013: 185 · 2012: 179
FWCI
76.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Cancer Institute (R01CA050239, R37CA4802)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (5T32AT09361)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD036437)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Cell death mechanisms and regulation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
Keywords
Bax, Bak, tBid, BH3-only proteins, Bcl-2 family proteins, mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, apoptosis, homo-oligomerization, endoplasmic reticulum stress, staurosporine, ultraviolet radiation, growth factor deprivation, etoposide, thapsigargin, tunicamycin, cell death resistance
MeSH terms
Animals, Antibodies, Biopolymers, Carrier Proteins, Cells, Cultured, Cytochrome c Group, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Etoposide, Intracellular Membranes, Membrane Proteins, Mitochondria, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Transfection, Ultraviolet Rays, Signal Transduction, Apoptosis, Protein Structure, Tertiary, fas Receptor, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2, Staurosporine, Hepatocytes, bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein, BH3 Interacting Domain Death Agonist Protein, bcl-2-Associated X Protein, Mice

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