In non-transformed cells Bak activates upon loss of anti-apoptotic Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 but in the absence of active BH3-only proteins

Bid chimeras indicate that most BH3-only proteins can directly activate Bak and Bax and show no preference for Bak versus Bax

(2015) C Hockings et al.   Cell Death & Disease

Bax Crystal Structures Reveal How BH3 Domains Activate Bax and Nucleate Its Oligomerization to Induce Apoptosis

(2013) Peter E. Czabotar et al.   CELL

Control of apoptosis by the BCL-2 protein family: implications for physiology and therapy

(2013) Peter E. Czabotar et al.   NATURE REVIEWS MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY

Direct activation of full-length proapoptotic BAK

(2013) Elizaveta S. Leshchiner et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Chemical Genomics Identifies Small-Molecule MCL1 Repressors and BCL-xL as a Predictor of MCL1 Dependency

(2012) Guo Wei et al.   CANCER CELL

BH3-only proteins are tail-anchored in the outer mitochondrial membrane and can initiate the activation of Bax

(2012) F Wilfling et al.   CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION

Selective Induction of Cell Death in Melanoma Cell Lines through Targeting of Mcl-1 and A1

(2012) Daniela Senft et al.   PLoS One

Bcl-xL Retrotranslocates Bax from the Mitochondria into the Cytosol

(2011) Frank Edlich et al.   CELL

Hallmarks of Cancer: The Next Generation

(2011) Douglas Hanahan et al.   CELL

A Unified Model of Mammalian BCL-2 Protein Family Interactions at the Mitochondria

(2011) Fabien Llambi et al.   MOLECULAR CELL

Perturbation of the Bcl-2 Network and an Induced Noxa/Bcl-xL Interaction Trigger Mitochondrial Dysfunction after DNA Damage

(2010) Hernando Lopez et al.   JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY

Membrane Binding by tBid Initiates an Ordered Series of Events Culminating in Membrane Permeabilization by Bax

(2008) Jonathan F. Lovell et al.   CELL