GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQ-OH

Melittin free acid is a basic 26-amino-acid polypeptide, the major active ingredient of honeybee venom. Melittin free acid is an activator of phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Melittin free acid has broad-spectrum antifungal activity with MIC values of 0.4-60 μM. Melittin free acid hinders fungal growth by inducing cell apoptosis, repressing (1,3)-β-D-glucan synthase and participating in other pathways[1][2].

[1] Hassid A, Levine L. Stimulation of phospholipase activity and prostaglandin biosynthesis by melittin in cell culture and in vivo. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol. 1977. PMID:928951
[2] Memariani H, Memariani M. Anti-fungal properties and mechanisms of melittin. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020 Aug;104(15):6513-6526. DOI:10.1007/s00253-020-10701-0