Molecular physiology of chemical defenses in a poison frog

Caty, Stephanie N.; Alvarez-Buylla, Aurora; Byrd, Gary D.; Vidoudez, Charles; Roland, Alexandre B.; Tapia, Elicio; Bodnik, Bogdan; Trauger, Sunia A.; Coloma, Luis A.; O’Connell, Lauren A.

doi:10.1101/591115

2019

DOI: 10.1101/591115

|View full text |Cite

Preprint

Molecular physiology of chemical defenses in a poison frog

Stephanie N. Caty

Aurora Alvarez-Buylla

Gary D. Byrd

et al.

Abstract: 14 15 16 Running title: Molecular physiology of chemical defenses 17 Word count: Abstract (English): 239, Main text: 7109 18 28 68de transcriptomas y proteínas en ranas con y sin defensas químicas sugieren que la presencia 69 de alcaloides influye en la fisiología de las ranas y que pequeñas moléculas proteicas de 70 transporte podrían estar involucradas en la bioacumulación de toxinas en ranas venenosas 71 dendrobátidos. 72 the presence of toxins would cause an increase in expression of genes associated with … Show more

Help me understand this report

View published versions

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2020

2024

Publication Types

Select...

Preprint5

Relationship

Self Cite3

Independent2

Authors

Journals

Cited by 8 publications

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Rapid toxin sequestration modifies poison frog physiology

O’Connell

Paulo

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Poison frogs sequester their chemical defenses from their diet of leaf litter arthropods for defense against predation. Little is known about poison frog physiological adaptations that confer this unusual ability to bioaccumulate dietary alkaloids from the intestines to skin glands for storage. We conducted an alkaloid-feeding experiment with the Diablito poison frog (Oophaga sylvatica) to determine how quickly toxins are accumulated and how toxins impact frog physiology using quantitative proteomics. Diablito frogs were able to rapidly accumulate the alkaloid decahydroquinoline to the skin storage glands within four days of dietary exposure, with decahydroquinoline also detected in the intestines and liver. Alkaloid exposure impacted tissue physiology, with protein abundance shifting in the intestines, liver, and skin. Many proteins that increased in abundance with toxin accumulation are plasma glycoproteins, including components of the complement system and the toxin-binding protein saxiphilin. Other protein classes that change in abundance with toxin accumulation are membrane proteins involved in small molecule transport and metabolism, including ABC transporters, solute carrier proteins, and cytochrome P450s. Overall, this work shows that poison frogs can rapidly accumulate alkaloid toxins, which alter carrier protein abundance, initiate an immune response, and alter small molecule transport and metabolism dynamics across tissues. More broadly, this study suggests that acute changes in diet may quickly change the chemical arsenal and physiology of poison frogs, which may have important consequences in their defense against predation.

show abstract

Rapid toxin sequestration modifies poison frog physiology

O’Connell

Paulo

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Sodium channel toxin-resistance mutations do not govern batrachotoxin (BTX) autoresistance in poison birds and frogs

Abderemane-Ali¹,

Rossen²,

Kobiela

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Poisonous organisms carry small molecule toxins that alter voltage-gated sodium channel (NaV) function. Among these, batrachotoxin (BTX) from Pitohui toxic birds and Phyllobates poison frogs, stands out because of its lethality and unusual effects on NaV function. How these toxin-bearing organisms avoid autointoxication remains poorly understood. In poison frogs, a NaV DIVS6 pore forming helix N->T mutation has been proposed as the BTX resistance mechanism. Here, we show that this variant is absent from Pitohui and poison frog NaVs, incurs a strong cost that compromises channel function, and fails to produce BTX resistant channels when tested in the context of poison frog NaVs. We further show that captive-raised poison frogs are BTX resistant, even though they bear BTX sensitive NaVs. Hence, our data refute the hypothesis that BTX autoresistance is rooted in NaV mutations and instead suggest that more generalizable mechanisms such as toxin sequestration act to protect BTX bearing species from autointoxication.

show abstract

Trade-offs between cost of ingestion and rate of intake drive defensive toxin use

Douglas

Beskid

Gernand

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animals that ingest toxins can themselves become toxic or unpalatable to predators and parasites. However, most animals rapidly eliminate toxins to survive toxin ingestion. It is therefore unclear how species transition from susceptibility and toxin elimination to tolerance and accumulation as chemical defense emerges. Studies of chemical defense have generally focused on species that display active toxin sequestration and target-site insensitivity mutations that permit survival without necessitating toxin metabolism. Here we investigate whether animals that presumably rely on toxin elimination for survival can also utilize ingested toxins for defense. We use the A4 and A3 Drosophila melanogaster fly strains from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR), which respectively possess elevated and reduced metabolic toxin resistance. We find that ingesting nicotine increased the survival of A4 but not of A3 flies against Leptopilina heterotoma wasp parasitism. Further, we find that despite possessing enhanced toxin clearance mechanisms, A4 flies accrued more nicotine than A3 individuals. Our results suggest that enhanced metabolic detoxification can allow for greater toxin intake by offsetting the cost of toxin ingestion. Passive toxin accumulation that accompanies increased toxin intake may underlie the early origins of chemical defense.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

hi@scite.ai

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Molecular physiology of chemical defenses in a poison frog

Cited by 8 publications

References 63 publications

Rapid toxin sequestration modifies poison frog physiology

Rapid toxin sequestration modifies poison frog physiology

Sodium channel toxin-resistance mutations do not govern batrachotoxin (BTX) autoresistance in poison birds and frogs

Trade-offs between cost of ingestion and rate of intake drive defensive toxin use

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About