University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Houston, TX, USA.
Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2021 Nov;193:114769. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114769. Epub 2021 Sep 17.
Melittin, the main venom component of the European Honeybee, is a cationic linear peptide-amide of 26 amino acid residues with the sequence: GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH. Melittin binds to lipid bilayer membranes, folds into amphipathic α-helical secondary structure and disrupts the permeability barrier. Since melittin was first described, a remarkable array of activities and potential applications in biology and medicine have been described. Melittin is also a favorite model system for biophysicists to study the structure, folding and function of peptides and proteins in membranes. Melittin has also been used as a template for the evolution of new activities in membranes. Here we overview the rich history of scientific research into the many activities of melittin and outline exciting future applications.
蜂毒素是欧洲蜜蜂毒液的主要成分，是一种 26 个氨基酸残基的阳离子线性肽酰胺，序列为：GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH。蜂毒素与脂双层膜结合，折叠成两亲性 α-螺旋二级结构，并破坏通透性屏障。自从蜂毒素首次被描述以来，它在生物学和医学领域的一系列惊人的活性和潜在应用已经被描述。蜂毒素也是生物物理学家研究肽和蛋白质在膜中的结构、折叠和功能的首选模型系统。蜂毒素也被用作在膜中进化新活性的模板。在这里，我们概述了对蜂毒素多种活性的丰富的科学研究历史，并概述了令人兴奋的未来应用。
