Membrane Cholesterol Content and Lipid Organization Influence Melittin and Pneumolysin Pore-Forming Activity.

ABSTRACT: Melittin, the main toxic component in the venom of the European honeybee, interacts with natural and artificial membranes due to its amphiphilic properties. Rather than interacting with a specific receptor, melittin interacts with the lipid components, disrupting the lipid bilayer and inducing ion leakage and osmotic shock. This mechanism of action is shared with pneumolysin and other members of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin family. In this manuscript, we investigated the inverse correlation for cholesterol dependency of these two toxins. While pneumolysin-induced damage is reduced by pretreatment with the cholesterol-depleting agent methyl-β-cyclodextrin, the toxicity of melittin, after cholesterol depletion, increased. A similar response was also observed after a short incubation w

SUBMITTER: Ganpule S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9147762 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature