Indigenous Bacteria from the Gut Microbiota Regulate Host Serotonin Biosynthesis

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains much of the body’s serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT), but mechanisms controlling the metabolism of gut-derived 5-HT remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that the microbiota plays a critical role in regulating host 5-HT. Indigenous sporeforming bacteria (Sp) from the mouse and human microbiota promote 5-HT biosynthesis from colonic enterochromaffin cells (ECs), which supply 5-HT to the mucosa, lumen and circulating platelets. Importantly, microbiota-dependent effects on gut 5-HT significantly impact host physiology, modulating GI motility and platelet function. We identify select fecal metabolites that are increased by Sp and that elevate 5-HT in chromaffin cell cultures, suggesting direct metabolic signaling of gut microbes to ECs. Furthermore, elevating luminal concentrations of particular microbial metabolites increases colonic and blood 5-HT in germ-free mice. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that Sp are important modulators of host 5-HT, and further highlight a key role for host-microbiota interactions in regulating fundamental 5-HT-related biological processes.