This gene encodes a death agonist that heterodimerizes with either agonist BAX or antagonist BCL2, and thus regulate apoptosis. The encoded protein is a member of the BCL-2 family of cell death regulators. It is a mediator of mitochondrial damage induced by caspase-8 (CASP8); CASP8 cleaves this encoded protein, and the COOH-terminal part translocates to mitochondria where it triggers cytochrome c release. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2020] see less This gene encodes a death agonist that heterodimerizes with either agonist BAX or antagonist BCL2, and thus regulate apoptosis. The encoded protein is a member of the BCL-2 family of cell death regulators. It is a mediator of mitochondrial damage induced by caspase-8 (CASP8); CASP8 cleaves this encoded protein, and the COOH-terminal part translocates to mitochondria where it triggers cytochrome... see more