This old version of Proteopedia is provided for student assignments while the new version is undergoing repairs. Content and edits done in this old version of Proteopedia after March 1, 2026 will eventually be lost when it is retired in about June of 2026.
Apply for new accounts at the new Proteopedia. Your logins will work in both the old and new versions.
2k7w
From Proteopedia
BAX Activation is Initiated at a Novel Interaction Site
Structural highlights
Function[BAX_HUMAN] Accelerates programmed cell death by binding to, and antagonizing the apoptosis repressor BCL2 or its adenovirus homolog E1B 19k protein. Under stress conditions, undergoes a conformation change that causes translocation to the mitochondrion membrane, leading to the release of cytochrome c that then triggers apoptosis. Promotes activation of CASP3, and thereby apoptosis.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [BIM_HUMAN] Induces apoptosis and anoikis. Isoform BimL is more potent than isoform BimEL. Isoform Bim-alpha1, isoform Bim-alpha2 and isoform Bim-alpha3 induce apoptosis, although less potent than isoform BimEL, isoform BimL and isoform BimS. Isoform Bim-gamma induces apoptosis. Isoform Bim-alpha3 induces apoptosis possibly through a caspase-mediated pathway. Isoform BimAC and isoform BimABC lack the ability to induce apoptosis.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Evolutionary ConservationCheck, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf. Publication Abstract from PubMedBAX is a pro-apoptotic protein of the BCL-2 family that is stationed in the cytosol until activated by a diversity of stress stimuli to induce cell death. Anti-apoptotic proteins such as BCL-2 counteract BAX-mediated cell death. Although an interaction site that confers survival functionality has been defined for anti-apoptotic proteins, an activation site has not been identified for BAX, rendering its explicit trigger mechanism unknown. We previously developed stabilized alpha-helix of BCL-2 domains (SAHBs) that directly initiate BAX-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Here we demonstrate by NMR analysis that BIM SAHB binds BAX at an interaction site that is distinct from the canonical binding groove characterized for anti-apoptotic proteins. The specificity of the human BIM-SAHB-BAX interaction is highlighted by point mutagenesis that disrupts functional activity, confirming that BAX activation is initiated at this novel structural location. Thus, we have now defined a BAX interaction site for direct activation, establishing a new target for therapeutic modulation of apoptosis. BAX activation is initiated at a novel interaction site.,Gavathiotis E, Suzuki M, Davis ML, Pitter K, Bird GH, Katz SG, Tu HC, Kim H, Cheng EH, Tjandra N, Walensky LD Nature. 2008 Oct 23;455(7216):1076-81. PMID:18948948[13] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Categories: Homo sapiens | Bird, G H | Cheng, E H | Davis, M L | Gavathiotis, E | Katz, S G | Kim, H | Pitter, K | Suzuki, M | Tjandra, N | Tu, H C | Walensky, L D | Apoptosis | Bax | Bcl-2 | Bh3 | Bim

