Molecular characterization and antimicrobial activity of cecropin family in Hermetia illucens

Antimicrobial peptides are potential alternatives to traditional antibiotics in the face of increasing bacterial resistance. Insects possess many antimicrobial peptides and have become a valuable source of novel and highly effective antimicrobial peptides. Hermetia illucens as a resource insect, for example, has the highest number of antimicrobial peptides of any dipteran. However, most antimicrobial peptides, especially cecropin, have not been comprehensively identified and have not been evaluated for their antimicrobial ability. In this study, we analyzed the localization and gene structure of 33 cecropin molecules in the H. illucens genome and evaluated their activity against common human pathogens. The results showed that 32 cecropin molecules were concentrated on 1 chromosome, most with 2 exons. More importantly, most of the cecropins had a good antibacterial effect against Gram-negative bacteria, and were not hemolytic. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the cecropin designated H3 against E. coli was 4 μg/mL. The toxicity, killing time kinetics, and anti-biofilm activity of H3 were further investigated and confirmed its antimicrobial ability. Overall, H3 is a potential candidate for the development of new antimicrobials to treat severe infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens such as E. coli.