Understanding the pore formation mechanism of α-HL in the cellular environment. (A–C) Atomic models of single protomers of prepore states II–IV. (D) Atomic model of a single protomer of the pore structure. (E) Residues at the turning point of two β-strands of the prepore state III (pink color) are highlighted in golden color, and the interacting partners (S114, H144, L146, and Q150) of Y148 and Y112 (in golden color) are shown in light blue color. (F) Residues in the non-TM portion of the stem domain are highlighted in dark green color. (G) Portion of lysed erythrocyte cells is zoomed to show 2D class averages of different oligomeric states (top) and their corresponding atomic model (bottom). (Hypothetical cell rupture and the membrane bilayer were created with https://BioRender.com).