BAX
BAX is the protein that opens the mitochondria to start cell death. BCL-2 keeps it in check in leukaemia cells; venetoclax and sonrotoclax free it, so the mitochondria leak cytochrome c and the cell dies.
Overview
BAX (chromosome 19q13.33) acts in the mitochondrial apoptotic process: under normal conditions it is kept largely cytosolic by constant retrotranslocation from the mitochondria mediated by BCL-XL, which prevents toxic BAX accumulating at the outer membrane; under stress it changes conformation, translocates to the mitochondrial membrane, releases cytochrome c and promotes caspase-3 activation and apoptosis (UniProt Q07812). The intrinsic apoptosis pathway record describes BAX and BAK as the proteins that pull the self-destruct switch open while BCL-2 holds it shut. In OnCo, BAX and BIM are the pro-apoptotic proteins released when venetoclax or sonrotoclax occupy the BH3 groove of BCL-2, which permeabilises the mitochondrial outer membrane and kills CLL and AML cells.
- Target · the protein and the cell it sits on
- Drug · antibody, small molecule, cell or radioligand
- Effect · signal, damage or kill
In plain words · BAX is the protein that opens the mitochondria to start cell death. BCL-2 keeps it in check in leukaemia cells; venetoclax and sonrotoclax free it, so the mitochondria leak cytochrome c and the cell dies.
- 1 · What it is
BAX is the protein that opens the mitochondria to start cell death. BCL-2 keeps it in check in leukaemia cells; venetoclax and sonrotoclax free it, so the mitochondria leak cytochrome c and the cell dies.
- 2 · What goes wrong in cancer
BAX activity is restored in the clinic by removing its BCL-2 family restraints rather than by a direct activator; the corpus records no drug that binds BAX.
- 3 · How drugs use it
No product in this corpus aims at BAX yet. Drugs bind the molecule precisely: to switch it off, flag the cell for the immune system, or deliver a payload.
External identifiers
Biology
BAX activity is restored in the clinic by removing its BCL-2 family restraints rather than by a direct activator; the corpus records no drug that binds BAX.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and AML (venetoclax)
- Mantle-cell lymphoma and DLBCL (sonrotoclax)
Notes
top- Prevalence not recorded in this wave: HGNC and UniProt carry no positivity rates and no other source was consulted.
Latest papers
topQuery for this target: (TITLE:"BAX" OR ABSTRACT:"BAX" OR TITLE:"BCL2L4" OR ABSTRACT:"BCL2L4" OR TITLE:"BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator" OR ABSTRACT:"BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about BAX, not a curated reading list.
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