LAUSR

American bullfrog (Rana castesbeiana) saxiphilin (RcSxph) is a high-affinity ‘toxin sponge’ protein thought to prevent intoxication by saxitoxin (STX), a lethal bis-guanidinium neurotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs). How specific RcSxph interactions contribute to STX binding has not been defined and whether other organisms have similar proteins is unclear. Here, we use mutagenesis, ligand binding, and structural studies to define the energetic basis of Sxph:STX recognition. The resultant STX ‘recognition code’ enabled engineering of RcSxph to improve its ability to rescue NaVs from STX and facilitated discovery of ten new frog and toad Sxphs. Definition of the STX binding code and Sxph family expansion among diverse Anurans separated by ∼140 million years of evolution provides a molecular basis for understanding the roles of toxin sponge proteins in toxin resistance and for developing novel proteins to sense or neutralize STX and related PSP toxins. Teaser A conserved STX recognition motif from frog and toad saxiphilins defines molecular principles of paralytic toxin binding.