BAX and familial dilated cardiomyopathy: During the transition from pressure-overload hypertrophy to DCM, the mitochondria-targeted pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein Nix (Nip3-like protein X) induces cardiomyocyte apoptosis by promoting the oligomerization of Bax and Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer (163).