title: Structure of Bax: coregulation of dimer formation and intracellular localization.
abstract: Apoptosis is stimulated by the insertion of Bax from the cytosol into mitochondrial membranes. The solution structure of Bax, including the putative transmembrane domain at the C terminus, was determined in order to understand the regulation of its subcellular location. Bax consists of 9 alpha helices where the assembly of helices alpha1 through alpha 8 resembles that of the apoptosis inhibitor, Bcl-x(L). The C-terminal alpha 9 helix occupies the hydrophobic pocket proposed previously to mediate heterodimer formation and bioactivity of opposing members of the Bcl-2 family. The Bax structure shows that the orientation of helix alpha 9 provides simultaneous control over its mitochondrial targeting and dimer formation.
authors: Biochemistry Section, Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Suzuki
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Youle
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Tjandra
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D019556:COS Cells; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D003902:Detergents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019281:Dimerization; D005960:Glucosides / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000737:chemistry; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D003902:Detergents; D005960:Glucosides; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; C018619:octyl-beta-D-glucoside