Notorious for their toxins, some frogs have another defence: adhesive slime. Researchers from Belgium’s Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Mons, VIB-VUB Centre for Structural Biology, and KU Leuven revealed that this slime, produced from their skin, helps certain frog species escape predators. Detailed in Nature Communications, the study shows that this slime turns adhesive within seconds, making it nearly impossible for predators to swallow the frogs. “Aside from being purveyors of poison, a small number of frogs have come up with a more obscure (and much stickier) survival strategy,” says VUB researcher Shabnam Zalman.

The Belgian teams identified protein-protein interactions and gene expression changes responsible for this glue’s evolution, offering potential for developing biomimetic adhesives.

This work is the first detailed analysis of vertebrate glue proteins and demonstrates how gene expression shifts enabled the evolution of amphibian glues. The research not only advances our understanding of these unique defences but also opens the door for creating new, strong adhesives based on this natural slime.

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