A Hawaiian legend tells of a village that angered a shark god.In revenge, a "seaweed" began to grow in the tidepools that killed anyone who touched it.In fact, this "limu-make-o-Hana" -- a zoanthid cnidarian -- contains a palytoxin that locks the sodium-potassium pump open, allowing free flow of ions.If a villager suffers palytoxin poisoning, which way will the ions in his neurons flow?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Palytoxin locks the sodium-potassium pump open, disrupting its normal function. Normally, the pump moves sodium out of the cell and potassium into the cell. When the pump is locked open, sodium flows into the cell and potassium flows out, following their concentration gradients.

A Hawaiian Legend Tells of a Village That Angered a Shark