Melittin Time Lapse (IMAGE)

Rice University

Melittin Time Lapse

Caption

This time-lapse image from a confocal microscope shows what happens over 6.5 minutes as a synthetic membrane-enclosed structure called a giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) is exposed to melittin, the principal component in bee venom. The GUV is filled with a solution containing red dye and the melittin is labeled with green dye. As melittin sticks to the GUV, its surface area increases by up to 4.5 percent, as measured by the expanding column at left. When melittin loads reach a critical threshold, pores form across the entire surface and the red dye rapidly leaks from the GUV.

Credit

H. Huang/Rice University

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