COLEOPTERICIN

Inducible antibacterial peptide found in the haemolymph of a tenebrionid beetle following the injection of heat-killed bacteria. Peptide A (glycine-rich, 74 residues) is active against Gram negative bacteria; Peptides B and C are isoforms of a 43 residue cysteine-rich peptide that has sequence homology with defensins and is active against Gram positive bacteria. See diptericins, cecropins, apidaecins, abaecins.