BAK1 and familial pancreatic carcinoma: Bcl-2 protein forms heterodimers by binding to the Bax and Bak1 protein and protects cell from apoptosis.[16, 42] In this study, the Bcl-2 mRNA was down-regulated as well as Bax and Bak1 up-regulated in pancreatic cancer cells by cyclopamine or RNAi for Gli1.