The Chemical Arsenal of Amazonian Tree Frogs: Evolutionary Diversification of Skin Peptides across Phyllomedusidae

Abstract Amphibian poisons are one of the most complex chemical defense systems among vertebrates, yet their diversity remains largely unresolved. Here, we present a comparative peptidomic analysis of six Amazonian species of Monkey Tree Frogs (Phyllomedusidae) sampled across three geographic regions. Mass spectrometry-based profiling revealed 18,466 features. Despite this extensive diversity, a subset of 961 features was shared across all species, while thousands of additional features were restricted to individual taxa or combinations of taxa. Poison profiles showed a highly uneven relative abundance distribution, with a small number of peptides accounting for a large proportion of the detected signal. Phylloseptins and dermaseptins were prominent components of several profiles, whereas bradykinin-related peptides, tryptophyllins, dermorphin-like peptides, medusins, and phyllomedusins showed variable contributions across taxa and regions. Geographic variation in the relative abundance of major peptide subfamilies indicates differences in peptide composition among the sampled populations. Such patterns are consistent with spatially structured variation and align with previous studies suggesting that amphibian peptide repertoires may be shaped by local ecological and biotic interactions. Our results reveal substantial variation in peptide composition and relative abundance while maintaining a broadly shared molecular component across phyllomedusid taxa. This study expands current knowledge of amphibian chemical diversity and provides new insights into how ecological and evolutionary processes may contribute to the diversification of chemical defense systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Omega
Published
2026-11-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.6c08901
Primary Topic
Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

The Chemical Arsenal of Amazonian Tree Frogs: Evolutionary Diversification of Skin Peptides across Phyllomedusidae

Tim Lüddecke, Andréa Rodrigues Chaves, Boniek G. Vaz, Ígor Luís Kaefer et al.
ACS Omega
Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
article

The Chemical Arsenal of Amazonian Tree Frogs: Evolutionary Diversification of Skin Peptides across Phyllomedusidae

Tim Lüddecke, Andréa Rodrigues Chaves, Boniek G. Vaz, Ígor Luís Kaefer, Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro, Emil José Hernández-Ruz, Anne Grace Andrade da Cunha Marques, Maik Damm, Marco Aurélio Sartim, Edvaldo Pereira Mota, Manuela B. Pucca, Gabriel Franco dos Santos, Jéssica Burlamaque Maciel, Héctor H. F. Koolen, Felipe Bittioli R. Gomes, Luiz Gustavo Gardinassi, Christoph Hartwig, Gesiane S. Lima, Thais de Almeida Corrêa Nogueira
article en

Abstract

Abstract Amphibian poisons are one of the most complex chemical defense systems among vertebrates, yet their diversity remains largely unresolved. Here, we present a comparative peptidomic analysis of six Amazonian species of Monkey Tree Frogs (Phyllomedusidae) sampled across three geographic regions. Mass spectrometry-based profiling revealed 18,466 features. Despite this extensive diversity, a subset of 961 features was shared across all species, while thousands of additional features were restricted to individual taxa or combinations of taxa. Poison profiles showed a highly uneven relative abundance distribution, with a small number of peptides accounting for a large proportion of the detected signal. Phylloseptins and dermaseptins were prominent components of several profiles, whereas bradykinin-related peptides, tryptophyllins, dermorphin-like peptides, medusins, and phyllomedusins showed variable contributions across taxa and regions. Geographic variation in the relative abundance of major peptide subfamilies indicates differences in peptide composition among the sampled populations. Such patterns are consistent with spatially structured variation and align with previous studies suggesting that amphibian peptide repertoires may be shaped by local ecological and biotic interactions. Our results reveal substantial variation in peptide composition and relative abundance while maintaining a broadly shared molecular component across phyllomedusid taxa. This study expands current knowledge of amphibian chemical diversity and provides new insights into how ecological and evolutionary processes may contribute to the diversification of chemical defense systems.

ACS Omega
Universidade Federal do Acre (BR), Duke University (US), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (DE), Fundação de Medicina Tropical (BR), LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (DE), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (DE), Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisa do Pantanal (BR), Universidade Federal do Pará (BR), Universidade Federal do Amazonas (BR), Universidade Federal de Goiás (BR), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR)
Universidade Federal do Acre, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
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