Good news! However, more research is needed!
Given the fact that serotonin was discovered in the 1930s it is very surprising that we still do not very well understand this critical neurotransmitter! It is curious!
"... Drugs that alter serotonin levels are the main weapon for treating psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. ...
For many years, researchers thought that serotonin was made in C. elegans by one specific molecular pathway, and that serotonin was then quickly degraded. ...
“We discovered a second, parallel biosynthetic pathway that accounts for about half of the total serotonin produced in our model system,” ...
The work began about three years ago, when the researchers unexpectedly discovered an enzyme that converts serotonin into derivative compounds.
... “but we found that, instead, it is used as a building block for other compounds that are responsible for some of serotonin’s activity. ...
further showed that the new serotonin derivatives affect feeding behavior. ...
there are hints that human serotonin is converted into metabolites similar to the ones identified in C. elegans, which opens up many more avenues of research. ..."
further showed that the new serotonin derivatives affect feeding behavior. ...
there are hints that human serotonin is converted into metabolites similar to the ones identified in C. elegans, which opens up many more avenues of research. ..."
From the abstract:
"The neurotransmitter serotonin plays a central role in animal behavior and physiology, and many of its functions are regulated via evolutionarily conserved biosynthesis and degradation pathways. Here we show that in Caenorhabditis elegans, serotonin is abundantly produced in nonneuronal tissues via phenylalanine hydroxylase, in addition to canonical biosynthesis via tryptophan hydroxylase in neurons. Combining CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing, comparative metabolomics and synthesis, we demonstrate that most serotonin in C. elegans is incorporated into N-acetylserotonin-derived glucosides, which are retained in the worm body and further modified via the carboxylesterase CEST-4. Expression patterns of CEST-4 suggest that serotonin or serotonin derivatives are transported between different tissues. Last, we show that bacterial indole production interacts with serotonin metabolism via CEST-4. Our results reveal a parallel pathway for serotonin biosynthesis in nonneuronal cell types and further indicate that serotonin-derived metabolites may serve distinct signaling functions and contribute to previously described serotonin-dependent phenotypes."
Parallel pathways for serotonin biosynthesis and metabolism in C. elegans (no public access)
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