melittin mitochondria briefs

Melittin slows mouse cervical cancer cell invasion and shifts the proteome toward oxidative phosphorylation and glutathione enzymes

Zhang and colleagues treat murine U14 cervical cancer cells with melittin and see less migration, less invasion, and more cell death. Astral data-independent acquisition proteomics yields 9,782 protein groups and 187 differential proteins, and oxidative phosphorylation is the top enriched pathway, alongside glutathione metabolism, ferroptosis-related terms, reactive oxygen species signaling, and mitophagy. The only protein change they confirm by immunoblot is an increase in glutathione S-transferase GSTP2. Transcripts of Duox1, Gpx4, Gsx2, Nfe2l2, and Gstp2 change in unstated directions. GSH-dependent enzymes are in play. No iron-sulfur cluster or copper site is identified, and ferroptosis is a pathway label, not a demonstrated death mode.