Identification of the NA⁺/K⁺-ATPase α-Isoforms in Six Species of Poison Dart Frogs and their Sensitivity to Cardiotonic Steroids.

ABSTRACT: Cardiotonic steroids (CTS) are a group of compounds known to be toxic due to their ability to inhibit the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA), which is essential to maintain the balance of ions in animal cells. An evolutionary strategy of molecular adaptation to avoid self-intoxication acquired by CTS defended organisms and their predators is the structural modification of their NKA where specific amino acid substitutions confer resistant phenotypes. Several lineages of poison dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) are well known to sequester a wide variety of lipophilic alkaloids from their arthropod diet, however there is no evidence of CTS-sequestration or dietary exposure. Interestingly this study identified the presence of α-NKA isoforms (α₁ and α₂) with amino acid sub

SUBMITTER: Medina-Ortiz K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10102066 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature