Rabbit polyclonal antibody to Bax (S4)

The Bcl~2 gene was isolated at the chromosomal breakpoint of t~bearing follicular B cell lymphomas. Bcl~2 blocks cell death following a variety of stimuli and confers a death~sparing effect to certain hematopoietic cell lines following growth factor withdrawal. Bcl~2 is localized to outer mitochondrial membranes and endoplasmic reticulum as well as nuclear membranes. A related protein, designated Bax p21 (for Bcl~associated X protein), has extensive amino acid homology with Bcl~2 and both homodimerizes and forms heterodimers with Bcl~2. Overexpression of Bax accelerates apoptotic death induced by cytokine deprivation in an IL~3 dependent cell line, and Bax also counters the death repressor activity of Bcl~2.