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Including planocerid flatworms in the diet effectively toxifies the pufferfish, Takifugu niphobles.

ABSTRACT: Beginning with the larval stages, marine pufferfish such as Takifugu niphobles contain tetrodotoxin (TTX), an extremely potent neurotoxin. Although highly concentrated TTX has been detected in adults and juveniles of these fish, the source of the toxin has remained unclear. Here we show that TTX in the flatworm Planocera multitentaculata contributes to the toxification of the pufferfish throughout the life cycle of the flatworm. A species-specific PCR method was developed for the flatworm, and the specific DNA fragment was detected in the digesta of wild pufferfish adults. Predation experiments showed that flatworm larvae were eaten by the pufferfish juveniles, and that the two-day postprandial TTX content in these pufferfish was 20-50 μg/g. Predation experiments additionally showed flatworm adults were also eaten by pufferfish young, and after two days of feeding, TTX accumulated in the skin, liver and intestine of the pufferfish.

SUBMITTER: Itoi S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6098040 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Including planocerid flatworms in the diet effectively toxifies the pufferfish, Takifugu niphobles.

Itoi Shiro S Ueda Hiroyuki H Yamada Riko R Takei Mitsuki M Sato Tatsunori T Oshikiri Shotaro S Wajima Yoshiki Y Ogata Ryuya R Oyama Hikaru H Shitto Takahiro T Okuhara Kazuya K Tsunashima Tadasuke T Sawayama Eitaro E Sugita Haruo H

Scientific reports 20180817 1

Beginning with the larval stages, marine pufferfish such as Takifugu niphobles contain tetrodotoxin (TTX), an extremely potent neurotoxin. Although highly concentrated TTX has been detected in adults and juveniles of these fish, the source of the toxin has remained unclear. Here we show that TTX in the flatworm Planocera multitentaculata contributes to the toxification of the pufferfish throughout the life cycle of the flatworm. A species-specific PCR method was developed for the flatworm, and t ...[more]

PMID: 30120305

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Dataset Information

Including planocerid flatworms in the diet effectively toxifies the pufferfish, Takifugu niphobles.

Publications

Including planocerid flatworms in the diet effectively toxifies the pufferfish, Takifugu niphobles.

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