Bax and Bak jointly control survival and dampen the early unfolded protein response in pancreatic β-cells under glucolipotoxic stress

ER stress and apoptosis contribute to the loss of pancreatic {beta}-cells under the pro-diabetic conditions of glucolipotoxicity. Although activation of the canonical pathway of intrinsic apoptosis is known to require Bax and Bak, their individual and combined involvement in glucolipotoxic {beta}-cell death have not been demonstrated. It has also remained an open question if Bax and Bak in {beta}-cells have non-apoptotic roles in mitochondrial function and ER stress signaling, as suggested in other cell types. Using mice with individual or combined {beta}-cell deletion of Bax and Bak, we demonstrated that glucolipotoxic {beta}-cell death in vitro happens in sequential stages; first via non-apoptotic mechanisms and later by apoptosis, which Bax and Bak were redundant in triggering. In contrast, they had non-redundant roles in mediating staurosporine-induced {beta}-cell apoptosis. We further established that Bax and Bak do not affect normal glucose-stimulated {beta}-cell Ca2+ responses, insulin secretion, or in vivo glucose tolerance. Finally, our experiments revealed that Bax and Bak together dampen the unfolded protein response in {beta}-cells during the early stages of chemical- or glucolipotoxicity-induced ER stress. These findings identify novel roles of the canonical apoptosis machinery in modulating stress signals that are important for the pathobiology of {beta}-cells in diabetes.