Frank Schroeder of the Boyce Thompson Institute is currently conducting new research that may eventually develop novel therapeutics to address the global burden of mental illness and other disorders.
Neurobiology Research
Numerous animals produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates a wide range of behaviors. It includes eating, sleeping, feeling, and thinking. The primary tool for treating psychological disorders like anxiety and depression, as well as eating disorders, is a medication that modifies serotonin levels.
For this neurobiology study, researchers employed a straightforward model. Their research on serotonin's function in controlling behavior and food intake extensively uses the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).
The scientists believed that a single molecular pathway in C. elegans produced serotonin. Additionally, they thought that serotonin was then rapidly broken down. Now it has been established by Schroeder's group and associates at Columbia University that neither of those presumptions was entirely accurate.
According to Schroeder, they found a second, parallel biosynthetic pathway that produces roughly half of the serotonin in our model system.
The paper outlining the findings was released in Nature Chemical Biology.
Unexpected Discovery of Serotonin Derivative
The project got underway about three years ago when scientists unintentionally found an enzyme that breaks down serotonin into its derivatives.
According to Medical Xpress, most experts in the field believe serotonin is produced and then quickly broken down. Instead, they discovered, it serves as a building block for other substances in charge of some of the serotonin's functions. They decided to examine the production of serotonin from the beginning. Additionally, they want to know if it produces these new molecules.
Further research by Jingfang Yu, a graduate student in Schroeder's lab and the paper's first author, demonstrated how the new serotonin derivatives influence feeding behavior.
Worms During Experiment of Endogenous Serotonin
Yu said that even though the worms lack endogenous serotonin, they tend to move quickly across the bacteria food lawn on an agar plate and infrequently turn to explore the food. According to Eurekalert, the researchers found the behavior can be alleviated by treating the worms with serotonin derivatives, suggesting these newly identified compounds contribute to effects previously attributed to serotonin.
The molecular signaling pathways for serotonin, which are highly conserved across species, including humans, make the worm C. elegans an ideal research model. The researchers demonstrated this. For instance, in C. elegans, serotonin is primarily produced in the gut. This is also the case for humans.
Possible Usage of Serotonin Derivatives
According to Schroeder, there are indications that human serotonin is changed into metabolites that resemble those found in C. elegans.
The research opens the door for many more avenues of human research, according to Schroeder, a professor in Cornell University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
He was curious about the discovery of the derivative. He wanted to know if these analogous metabolites are important in humans. Another concern is knowing the role of one manufacturing pathway versus the other. He was also curious about how the manufacturing pathways and metabolites are important for human behaviors like mental health and feeding behaviors.
The impact of the new serotonin derivatives on behavior in C. elegans is currently being studied, as well as whether human counterparts to these serotonin metabolites exist.
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