Structural basis for proapoptotic activation of Bak by the noncanonical BH3-only protein Pxt1.
Bak is a critical executor of apoptosis belonging to the Bcl-2 protein family.Bak contains a hydrophobic groove where the BH3 domain of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members can be accommodated, which initiates its activation.Once activated, Bak undergoes a conformational change to oligomerize, which leads to mitochondrial destabilization and the relea