Published in

Rockefeller University Press, Journal of Experimental Medicine, 5(203), p. 1147-1152, 2006

DOI: 10.1084/jem.20051736

Rockefeller University Press, Journal of Cell Biology, 4(173), p. i8-i8, 2006

DOI: 10.1083/jcb1734oia8

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Bax does not have to adopt its final form to drive T cell death

Journal article published in 2006 by Yanan Zhu, Xinqi Liu, David Hildeman ORCID, Fred W. Peyerl, Janice White, Elenora Kushnir, John Kappler, Philippa Marrack
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

The introduction of antigen into animals causes antigen-specific T cells to divide and then die. Activated T cell death requires either of the death effector molecules, Bak or Bax. When T cells die, Bak and Bax change their conformations, a phenomenon that is thought to be required for Bak or Bax to drive cell death. Here we show that Bak changes conformation before activated T cells die, as detected by an antibody specific for a peptide near the NH2 terminus of Bak, but Bax does not change its shape markedly until after the cells are dead, as detected by an antibody specific for a peptide near the NH2 terminus of Bax. This latter finding is also true in activated T cells that lack Bak and are therefore dependent on Bax to die. This result suggests that Bax does not have to adopt its final, completely unfolded form until after the cells are dead.