Melittin, C-terminal cysteine labelled is synthetic melittin with an extra cysteine residue at the C terminal. Melittin is a cationic, haemolytic component of honey bee venom used to study cell and liposome lysis. Melittin is a positively charged, amphipathic 26-amino-acid peptide that associates with the phospholipids of membrane bilayers, causing cell death by forming transmembrane toroidal pores at nanomolar concentrations. Melittin, C-terminal cysteine labelled, can be labelled with any maleimide linked tag to generate fluorescent or biotinylated derivatives.
