Cell death, or apoptosis, is a naturally occurring and necessary biological process. In apoptosis, the 92 amino acid BAX protein inserts itself into mitochondrial membranes, causing their contents to leak out and their eventual demise. Small-angle neutron scattering at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor is showing biochemists how the protein tunnels its way into membranes. The research helps to understand defective apoptosis, that is, when too many cells die, or too few. This dysfunction has been implicated in diseases such as atrophy of limbs and organs, as well as in some cancers.
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