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Changes in Tissue Distribution of Tetrodotoxin and Its Analogues in Association with Maturation in the Toxic Flatworm, Planocera multitentaculata

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Abstract

The toxic flatworm, Planocera multitentaculata, possesses highly concentrated tetrodotoxin (TTX), also known as pufferfish toxin, throughout its life cycle, including the egg and larval stages. Additionally, TTX analogues, 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX and 11-norTTX-6(S)-ol, have also been detected in the flatworm. The high concentration of TTX in the eggs and larvae appears to be for protection against predation, and 11-norTTX-6(S)-ol in the pharyngeal tissue in the adults is likely used to sedate or kill prey during predation. However, information on the role of 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX, a potential important biosynthetic intermediate of TTX, in the toxic flatworm is lacking. Here, we aimed to determine the region of localization of TTX and its analogues in the flatworm body, understand their pharmacokinetics during maturation, and speculate on their function. Flatworm specimens in four stages of maturity, namely juvenile, mating, spawning, and late spawning, were subjected to LC–MS/MS analysis, using the pharyngeal tissue, oocytes in seminal receptacle, sperm, and tissue from 12 other sites. Although TTX was consistently high in the pharyngeal tissue throughout maturation, it was extremely high in the oocytes during the spawning period. Meanwhile, 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX was almost undetectable in the pharyngeal part throughout the maturation but was very abundant in the oocytes during spawning. 11-norTTX-6(S)-ol consistently localized in the pharyngeal tissue. Although the localization of TTX and its analogues was approximately consistent with the MS imaging data, TTX and 11-norTTX-6(S)-ol were found to be highly localized in the parenchyma surrounding the pharynx, which suggests the parenchyma is involved in the accumulation and production of TTXs.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article and supplementary information.

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Funding

This study was supported in part by the Grant-in-Aid for the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellows from JSPS (20J20428, H.O.), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) from JSPS (19H00954, S.I.), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) from JSPS (19H02896, T.N.), Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientific Research from JSPS (20K15606, R.S.), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area) from JSPS (17H06406, T.N.), and Research Grant for 2019 and 2020 from the Nihon University College of Bioresource Sciences (S.I.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Science and Resources, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0880, Japan

    Hikaru Oyama, Masaaki Ito, Rei Suo, Naoko Goto-Inoue, Mizuki Morisasa, Tsukasa Mori, Haruo Sugita & Shiro Itoi

  2. Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan

    Tetsushi Mori

  3. Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan

    Ryota Nakahigashi & Toshio Nishikawa

  4. Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan

    Masaatsu Adachi

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  1. Hikaru Oyama
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  2. Masaaki Ito
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  3. Rei Suo
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Contributions

Study conception and design: Hikaru Oyama, Rei Suo, Haruo Sugita, Tetsushi Mori, and Shiro Itoi; sample collection: Hikaru Oyama, Masaaki Ito, Rei Suo, Tetsushi Mori, and Shiro Itoi; chemical synthesis: Ryota Nakahigashi, Masaatsu Adachi, and Toshio Nishikawa; LC–MS/MS analysis: Hikaru Oyama, Masaaki Ito, and Rei Suo; MS imaging: Hikaru Oyama, Rei Suo, Naoko Goto-Inoue, Mizuki Morisasa, and Tsukasa Mori; manuscript drafting: Hikaru Oyama; critical revision: Shiro Itoi. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shiro Itoi.

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Oyama, H., Ito, M., Suo, R. et al. Changes in Tissue Distribution of Tetrodotoxin and Its Analogues in Association with Maturation in the Toxic Flatworm, Planocera multitentaculata. Mar Biotechnol 24, 1158–1167 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-022-10179-z

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