Melittin, the main venom component of the European Honeybee, is a cationic linear peptide-amide of 26 amino acid residues with the sequence: GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH₂. 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.

蜂毒肽是欧洲蜜蜂的主要毒液成分，是一种具有 26 个氨基酸残基的阳离子线性肽酰胺，序列为：GIGAVLKVLTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH ₂。蜂毒肽与脂质双层膜结合，折叠成两亲性 α-螺旋二级结构并破坏渗透屏障。自从首次描述蜂毒肽以来，已经描述了一系列非凡的活动和在生物学和医学中的潜在应用。蜂毒肽也是生物物理学家研究膜中肽和蛋白质的结构、折叠和功能最喜欢的模型系统。蜂毒肽也被用作膜中新活性进化的模板。在这里，我们概述了蜂毒肽的许多活动的丰富科学研究历史，并概述了令人兴奋的未来应用。