Question

Melittin is the primary component of bee venom and is the reason for its pain-inflicting properties. It damages tissues by creating a pore in the phospholipid bilayer of the cell. The Peptide Melittin's Amino Acid Sequence: GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ. The bolded section is crucial to the peptide's activity ~ What do you notice about these amino acids' properties and how do they contribute to the effect of a sting? Justify answers.

Answer 1

The bolded section of peptide is very crucial beacuse of its hydrophobic nature which makes it easier to interact with hydrophobic phospholipids. There are no disulfide bridges and the Peptide remains linear and can easily be inserted into the plasma membrane. This further can induce signaling pathways resulting in effector response to melittin. Jon bolded portion is has hydrophilic nature and can form tetramer which makes it stand on the plasma membrane while hydrophobic part mediates its effect.