TY - JOUR T1 - Rapid toxin sequestration modifies poison frog physiology JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/2020.05.27.119081 SP - 2020.05.27.119081 AU - Lauren A. O’Connell AU - LS50: Integrated Science Laboratory Course AU - Jeremy D. O’Connell AU - Joao A. Paulo AU - Sunia A. Trauger AU - Steven P. Gygi AU - Andrew W. Murray Y1 - 2020/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/09/26/2020.05.27.119081.abstract N2 - Poison frogs sequester chemical defenses from their diet of leaf litter arthropods for defense against predation. Little is known about the physiological adaptations that confer this unusual bioaccumulation ability. We conducted an alkaloid-feeding experiment with the Diablito poison frog (Oophaga sylvatica) to determine how quickly alkaloids are accumulated and how toxins modify frog physiology using quantitative proteomics. Diablito frogs rapidly accumulated the alkaloid decahydroquinoline within four days, and dietary alkaloid exposure altered protein abundance in the intestines, liver, and skin. Many proteins that increased in abundance with decahydroquinoline accumulation are plasma glycoproteins, including the complement system and the toxin-binding protein saxiphilin. Other protein classes that change in abundance with decahydroquinoline accumulation are membrane proteins involved in small molecule transport and metabolism. Overall, this work shows poison frogs can rapidly accumulate alkaloids, which alter carrier protein abundance, initiate an immune response, and alter small molecule transport and metabolism dynamics across tissues.Summary Statement Poison frogs rapidly accumulate toxins, which changes abundance of proteins involved in the immune system and small molecule binding and metabolism across tissues.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest. ER -