Expression studies in the yeast S. pombe have been utilised to establish the basis for a genetic analysis designed to identify the lethal partners of the pro-apoptotic proteins bak and bax. Bak expression in S. pombe is lethal and this lethality is rescued by co-expression of bcl-2 or bcl-x(L). S. pombe cells expressing bak have a terminal phenotype in which the majority of cells are blocked in the G1 phase of the cell cycle while the remainder of cells, unable to complete M-phase, mis-coordinate the timing of subsequent events in the cell cycle. Although bax expression in S. pombe gives rise to a slow growth phenotype, not a lethality, bax expressing cells display the same cell cycle phenotypes described for bak. Electron microscopy of cells expressing bak reveals a dramatic accumulation of large vesicular structures. A two-hybrid screen designed to identify S. pombe proteins which interact with bak, isolated the S. pombe calnexin homologue cnx1. Genetic analysis demonstrates that the Cnx1 domain which binds to bak in two-hybrid experiments, is necessary for bak lethality in S. pombe. This report identifies a lethal interacting partner for bak and the observations suggest a model for bak mediated lethality which can be tested in higher cells.