Natures wonders: poison dart frogs (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 00:11 (338 days ago) @ David Turell

How they survive their own poison:

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-protein-poison-dart-frogs-accumulate.html

"Tiny poison dart frogs consume far more toxic alkaloids in their diets, but instead of breaking the toxins down, they accumulate them in their skin as a defense mechanism against predators.

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"Alvarez-Buylla and her colleagues used a compound similar to the poison frog alkaloid as a kind of "molecular fishing hook" to attract and bind proteins in blood samples taken from the Diablito poison frog. The alkaloid-like compound was bioengineered to glow under fluorescent light, allowing the team to see the proteins as they bound to this decoy.

"Next, they separated the proteins to see how each one interacted with alkaloids in a solution. They discovered that a protein called alkaloid binding globulin (ABG) acts like a 'toxin sponge' that collects alkaloids. They also identified how the protein binds to alkaloids by systematically testing which parts of the protein were needed to bind it successfully.

"'The way that ABG binds alkaloids has similarities to the way proteins that transport hormones in human blood bind their targets," Alvarez-Buylla explains. "This discovery may suggest that the frog's hormone-handling proteins have evolved the ability to manage alkaloid toxins.'"

Comment: it is a neat way for frogs to be safe with poisons they ingested and then positioned in their skin. How did this evolve? Eating tiny amounts and bit by bit increasing the amount would work by the body learning to accommodate the poison. Or are frogs that smart they would think of the method? Or, simply designed that way by God.