TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecological functions of tetrodotoxin in a deadly polyclad flatworm
AU - Ritson-Williams, Raphael
AU - Yotsu-Yamashita, Mari
AU - Paul, Valerie J.
PY - 2006/2/28
Y1 - 2006/2/28
N2 - The deadly neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) is found in a variety of animal phyla and, because of its toxicity, is most often assumed to deter predation. On the tropical Pacific island of Guam, we found an undescribed flatworm (planocerid sp. 1) that contains high levels of TTX and its analogs. Through ecological experiments, we show that TTXs do not protect these flatworms from some predators but instead are used to capture mobile prey. TTX is known to have multiple ecological functions, which has probably led to its widespread presence among prokaryotes and at least 10 metazoan phyla.
AB - The deadly neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) is found in a variety of animal phyla and, because of its toxicity, is most often assumed to deter predation. On the tropical Pacific island of Guam, we found an undescribed flatworm (planocerid sp. 1) that contains high levels of TTX and its analogs. Through ecological experiments, we show that TTXs do not protect these flatworms from some predators but instead are used to capture mobile prey. TTX is known to have multiple ecological functions, which has probably led to its widespread presence among prokaryotes and at least 10 metazoan phyla.
KW - Chemical ecology
KW - Prey-capture
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0506093103
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0506093103
M3 - Article
C2 - 16492790
AN - SCOPUS:33644757728
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 103
SP - 3176
EP - 3179
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 9
ER -