Label

Protein: Ranasmurfin
Protein Data Bank ID #: 2VH3
Artist: Paulina Nguyen

Ribbet Ribbet Ribbet…the distant sound of frogs completely at home in their rainforest we hear all the time. However, such a setting could also be home to the tiny blue creatures known as the Smurfs.

When mating, the female excretes a protein-rich fluid that she, together with the male, whips into a sticky foam nest that is then stuck to a structure or plant overhanging a body of water. The dark greenish-blue color of the nests of Java whipping tree frog stems from ranasmurfin. Certain species of tree frog use biofoams to create nests for their eggs, protecting them from dehydration, predation, microbial infections, and other dangers.

The name of the protein itself already gives a hint as to the color of this protein – an odd electric blue that is characteristic of the playful cartoon Smurfs. In the rainforests of the Malaysia, the nests of these frogs are situated near the edge of the river where the young helpless tadpoles can swim to their new home under the safe cover of the blue foam.