Some snakes develop unique genetic trick to avoid poisonous snake-eating snakes

Some snakes have developed a unique genetic trick to avoid being eaten by poisonous snakes, according to research from the University of Queensland.

Associate Professor Bryan Fry of UQ’s Toxin Evolution Lab said the technique works in a way similar to how two sides of a magnet repel each other.

“The target of snake venom neurotoxins is a strongly negatively charged nerve receptor,” said Dr. Fry.

“This evolved neurotoxins with positively charged surfaces, thereby guiding them to the neurological target to produce paralysis.

“But some snakes have evolved to replace a negatively charged amino acid on their receptor with a positively charged acid, which means the neurotoxin is repelled.

“It’s an inventive genetic mutation and it has been completely missed so far.

“We have shown that this trait evolved at least 10 times in different species of snakes.”

Researchers have found that the Burmese python – a slow-growing terrestrial species vulnerable to predation by cobras – is extremely resistant to neurotoxins.

“Likewise, the South African mole snake, another slow snake vulnerable to cobras, is also extremely resilient,” said Dr Fry.

“But Asian pythons that live in trees when they’re babies, and Australian pythons that don’t live with a neurotoxic snake-eating snake, don’t have that resistance.

“We have long known that some species – like the mongoose – are resistant to snake venom thanks to a mutation that physically blocks neurotoxins by having a branch-like structure protruding from the receptor, but this is the first time that the magnet-like effect has been observed. “

“It has also evolved in poisonous snakes to be resistant to their own neurotoxins on at least two occasions.”

The discovery was made after the establishment of UQ’s new $ 2 million biomolecular interaction facility, the Australian Biomolecular Interaction Facility (ABIF).

There is incredible technology at ABIF that allows us to filter thousands of samples per day.

This facility means that we can do the kind of tests that would have been science fiction before, they would have been completely impossible. “

Dr Bryan Fry, Associate Professor, UQ Toxin Evolution Laboratory