Cecropins [PMID: 3318666, PMID: 2015623, PMID: 1915368] are potent antibacterial proteins that constitute a main part of the cell-free immunity of insects. Cecropins are small proteins of about 35 amino acid residues active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. They seem to exert a lytic action on bacterial membranes. Cecropins isolated from insects other than Hyalophora cecropia (Cecropia moth) have been given various names; bactericidin, lepidopteran, sarcotoxin, etc. All of these peptides are structurally related. Cecropin P1, an intestinal antibacterial peptide from Sus scrofa (Pig), also belongs to this family.

The below sequences were used to create Cecropin sequence signatures:

The below sequences were retrieved using Cecropin sequence signatures: