# BAK1

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/bak1/  
OnCo record `bak1` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

BAK1 (Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer) is a gene. In the public catalogues the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Leukaemia, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

## Summary

Plays a role in the mitochondrial apoptotic process. Upon arrival of cell death signals, promotes mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) permeabilisation by oligomerising to form pores within the MOM. This releases apoptogenic factors into the cytosol, including cytochrome c, promoting the activation of caspase 9 which in turn processes and activates the effector caspases.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.48 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.97, animal model 0.43, genetic association 0.59).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: BCL2 antagonist/killer 1; Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer; BCL2L7; CDN1
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: BAK1
- Class: other
- Biology: Plays a role in the mitochondrial apoptotic process. Upon arrival of cell death signals, promotes mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) permeabilisation by oligomerising to form pores within the MOM. This releases apoptogenic factors into the cytosol, including cytochrome c, promoting the activation of caspase 9 which in turn processes and activates the effector caspases. Location: Mitochondrion outer membrane (UniProt). Locus 6p21.31 (HGNC).
- Where found: Leukaemia: Open Targets association 0.51 with leukaemia (MONDO_0005059); Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Open Targets association 0.51 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MONDO_0018908); Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: Open Targets association 0.51 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (MONDO_0004967)

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: none stated by the sources. Evidence tier "association-only" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:949: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:949
- UniProt Q16611: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q16611/entry
- NCBI Gene 578: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/578
- Ensembl ENSG00000030110: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000030110

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia](https://onco.cc/cancers/all-leukemia/), [Leukaemia (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/leukaemia/), [Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/bak1.json