Bcl-2-associated X protein
Okay kiddo, so you have a special kind of cells in your body called "cells". These cells are like little factories that help your body do all sorts of jobs, like fighting off germs or making you grow big and strong.
Sometimes, these cells can start acting a little bit funny and may not behave the way they are supposed to. One of the reasons for this is a family of proteins that can either help the cells to survive or signal them to die.
One of these proteins is called bcl-2-associated X protein, or BAX for short. BAX is like the "bad guy" protein because it tells the cells to die when they are not doing their jobs properly.
But wait, you might ask "why would cells want to die?" Well, sometimes cells become old or damaged or infected by germs that are too strong for the body's defense system. To avoid a bigger disease, our body signals these cells to self-destruct in a process called apoptosis.
BAX is one of the proteins that helps trigger this process. When it senses something wrong in the cell, BAX will move towards the cell's powerhouses, called mitochondria, and create pores in it. These pores then leak proteins from the mitochondria, causing the cells to die.
Overall, BAX is an important protein that helps keep our body healthy by getting rid of cells that are not working properly.
Sometimes, these cells can start acting a little bit funny and may not behave the way they are supposed to. One of the reasons for this is a family of proteins that can either help the cells to survive or signal them to die.
One of these proteins is called bcl-2-associated X protein, or BAX for short. BAX is like the "bad guy" protein because it tells the cells to die when they are not doing their jobs properly.
But wait, you might ask "why would cells want to die?" Well, sometimes cells become old or damaged or infected by germs that are too strong for the body's defense system. To avoid a bigger disease, our body signals these cells to self-destruct in a process called apoptosis.
BAX is one of the proteins that helps trigger this process. When it senses something wrong in the cell, BAX will move towards the cell's powerhouses, called mitochondria, and create pores in it. These pores then leak proteins from the mitochondria, causing the cells to die.
Overall, BAX is an important protein that helps keep our body healthy by getting rid of cells that are not working properly.
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