PURIFICATION AND PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF CERATOTOXIN-A AND CERATOTOXIN-B, 2 ANTIBACTERIAL PEPTIDES FROM THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ACCESSORY-GLANDS OF THE MEDFLY CERATITIS-CAPITATA (INSECTA, DIPTERA)

In the present article we report the purification and the amino acid s equence of two antibacterial peptides present in the secretion of the female reproductive accessory glands of the dipteran insect Ceratitis capitata. Both peptides consist of 29 amino acid residues, are heat st able, strongly basic and differ from each other for the substitution o f two amino acids. Their primary sequence and predicted secondary stru cture are related to other families of peptides known to have lytic an d/or antibacterial activity. We propose the name ceratotoxins (from Ce ratitis) for these antibacterial peptides.