How do Bax and Bak proteins promote apoptosis?

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Bax and Bak are pro-apoptotic proteins belonging to the BCL-2 family that act as key initiators of apoptosis. Their activity is regulated by other members of the BCL-2 family, specifically BH-3-only proteins, which monitor the cell for dysfunction and control the balance between death-initiating (pro-apoptotic) and death-preventing (anti-apoptotic) proteins.1

In mammals, this regulatory process occurs primarily on the membranes of mitochondria. When the decision to initiate apoptosis is made, Bax and Bak facilitate the process that leads to the cell's self-destruction. Once this death decision is confirmed, caspase proteolytic enzymes are activated to execute the dismantling of the cellular cytoskeleton, organelles, and nuclear DNA.1