Isolation and nucleotide sequence of cecropin B cDNA clones from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Two cDNA clones encoding cecropin B, an antibacterial protein, were isolated from a fat body cDNA library of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Amino acid sequences of these clones, deduced from nucleotide sequences, were identical, including signal peptide regions. However, the nucleotide sequences were different at 30 positions. Deduced amino acid sequences of Bombyx mori cecropin B showed higher homology with cecropins from Lepidoptera than with those from Diptera.