Abstract
It is now established that the gut microbiome influences human neurology and behavior, and vice versa. Distinct mechanisms underlying this bidirectional communication pathway, termed the gut-brain axis, are becoming increasingly uncovered. This review summarizes recent interkingdom signaling research focused on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a human neurotransmitter and ubiquitous signaling molecule found in bacteria, fungi, plants, invertebrates, and mammals. We detail how GABAergic signaling has been shown to be a crucial component of the gut-brain axis. We further describe how GABA is also being found to mediate interkingdom signaling between algae and invertebrates, plants and invertebrates, and plants and bacteria. Based on these emerging results, we argue that obtaining a complete understanding of GABA-mediated communication in the gut-brain axis will involve deciphering the role of GABA signaling and metabolism within bacterial communities themselves.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 120-125 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Bioelectricity |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2021 |
Funding
We are grateful for generous support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (1015883.01), the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2018-68055), the Army Research Office (W911NF-19-1-0136), Pew Charitable Trusts (2019-A-06953), the Hartwell Biomedical Research Fellowship, and the Biotechnology Training Program at Northwestern University.
Keywords
- GABA
- Gut-brain axis
- Interkingdom signaling
- Microbial endocrinology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Transplantation
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medicine (miscellaneous)