Cytoprotective membrane-permeable peptides designed from the Bax-binding domain of Ku70

Bax is a pro-apoptotic member of Bcl-2 family proteins and is central to mitochondria-dependent apoptosis1,2,3. Bax resides in the cytosol as a quiescent protein and translocates into mitochondria after apoptotic stimuli4. Ku70 is a 70K subunit of the Ku complex, which has an important role in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in the nucleus5. In another article in this issue, we reported that Ku70 interacts with pro-apoptotic protein Bax in the cytosol and prevents its mitochondrial translocation6, suggesting that Ku70 suppresses Bax-mediated apoptosis. Here, we describe the development of a new membrane-permeable peptide, Bax-inhibiting peptide (BIP) that inhibits Bax-mediated apoptosis, on the basis of the previous finding that showed an interaction between Ku70 and Bax. BIP is comprised of five amino acids designed from the Bax-binding domain of Ku70, and suppresses the mitochondrial translocation of Bax. BIP inhibited Bax-mediated apoptosis induced by staurosporine, UVC irradiation and anti-cancer drugs in several types of cells. BIP may provide valuable information in the development of therapeutics that control apoptosis-related diseases.