摘要
Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, changes intracellular location as it accelerates cell death. Bax consists of 9 α-helices where the assembly of helices α1-α8 resembles that of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-xL. The opposite biological functions between Bcl-xL and Bax stem from relatively minor differences in their structures. The C-terminal α helix, that functions in mitochondrial membrane targeting, sits in the hydrophobic BH3 binding pocket proposed previously to mediate heterodimer formation among Bcl-2 family members. The structure of soluble Bax shows that the conformation of the C-terminal helix may simultaneously inhibit BH3 peptide binding associated with dimer formation and mitochondrial
