title: Serotonin Activates Bacterial Quorum Sensing and Enhances the Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Host.
abstract: Bacteria in humans play an important role in health and disease. Considerable emphasis has been placed in understanding the role of bacteria in host-microbiome interkingdom communication. Here we show that serotonin, responsible for mood in the brain and motility in the gut, can also act as a bacterial signaling molecule for pathogenic bacteria. Specifically, we found that serotonin acts as an interkingdom signaling molecule via quorum sensing and that it stimulates the production of bacterial virulence factors and increases biofilm formation in vitro and in vivo in a novel mouse infection model. This discovery points out at roles of serotonin both in bacteria and humans, and at phenotypic implications not only manifested in mood behavior but also in infection processes in the host. Thus, regulating serotonin concentrations in the gut may provide with paradigm shifting therapeutic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33146, United States.
authors.forename: Leslie D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Knecht
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
authors.forename: Xue Z
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
authors.forename: Pirouz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Daftarian
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
authors.forename: Sapna K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Deo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States. Electronic address: sdaunert@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daunert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D012701:Serotonin; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002374:Catalase; D009195:Peroxidase; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases
keywords: Host-microbiome interactions; Interkingdom signaling molecule; Las pathway; N-acyl homoserine lactone; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Quorum sensing; Serotonin