Two roads to death – Bax targets mitochondria by distinct routes before or during apoptotic cell death

Recent studies have revolutionized our understanding of how the crucial apoptosis effectors Bax and Bak target mitochondria to kill cells. We recently reported that an important determinant of the localization, oligomerization, and apoptotic function of Bax is an interaction with either mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2) (in healthy cells) or Bak (in apoptotic cells).(1).