Bax-induced permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane and release of cytochrome c are key events in apoptosis. Although Bax can compromise mitochondria in primitive unicellular organisms that lack a classical apoptotic machinery, it is still unclear if Bax alone is sufficient for this, or whether additional mitochondrial components are required. The protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia...

Bcl-2 family proteins regulate apoptosis, in part, by controlling formation of the mitochondrial apoptosis-induced channel (MAC), which is a putative cytochrome c release channel induced early in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. This channel activity was never observed in Bcl-2-overexpressing cells. Furthermore, MAC appears when Bax translocates to mitochondria and cytochrome c is released in c...

Background and Objective: Approximately half of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma are cured with current chemotherapy regimens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Bax and Bcl2 expression and their relationship with the response to chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: This study was a prospective analysis on 44 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Their specimens were st...

Sympathetic premotor neurons for the maintenance of vasomotor tone are located in rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). We demonstrated previously that overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in RVLM, leading to caspase 3-dependent apoptotic cell death, plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular depression during endotoxemia induced by intravenous administration of Esche...

The Bcl-2 proteins Bax and Bak can permeabilize the outer mitochondrial membrane and commit cells to apoptosis. Pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins control Bax by constant retrotranslocation into the cytosol of healthy cells. The stabilization of cytosolic Bax raises the question whether the functionally redundant but largely mitochondrial Bak shares this level of regulation. Here we report that Bak is...

Bax is a key regulator of apoptosis that, under cell stress, accumulates at mitochondria, where it oligomerizes to mediate the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane leading to cytochrome c release and cell death. However, the underlying mechanism behind Bax function remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the spatial organization of Bax in apoptotic cells using dual-color sin...

UNLABELLED Loss of apoptotic Bax due to microsatellite mutation contributes to tumor development and chemoresistance. Recently, a Bax microsatellite mutation was uncovered in combination with a specific alternative splicing event that could generate a unique Bax isoform (BaxΔ2) in otherwise Bax-negative cells. Like the prototype Baxα, BaxΔ2 is a potent proapoptotic molecule. However, the proapo...

Motoneurons in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) and their target muscles in the perineum, bulbocavernosus (BC), and levator ani (LA) normally degenerate in female rodents. Death of the motoneurons and muscles can be prevented by androgen treatments around the time of birth. To identify the intracellular mechanisms underlying hormone-dependent survival of this neuromuscular system...