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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The majority of the neurotransmitter serotonin is made in the gut, and studies have suggested that it has major effects on the gut
microbiota. Now, Kumar, Russell et al. find that serotonin modulates the virulence of enterohemorrhagic _Escherichia coli_ (EHEC) and _Citrobacter rodentium_, a mouse model of EHEC
infection. Serotonin was found to bind to the histidine sensor kinase CpxA, leading to its dephosphorylation and the activation of the transcription factor CpxR, which regulates the
expression of EHEC virulence genes, particularly those within the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). Increasing the level of serotonin in the mouse gut decreased LEE expression and
reduced _C. rodentium_ loads. By contrast, inhibiting serotonin synthesis enhanced pathogenesis and decreased host survival. As other bacterial pathogens also encode CpxA, it represents a
promising broad-spectrum antibiotic target. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other
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are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES ORIGINAL ARTICLE * Kumar,
A. & Russell, R. M. et al. The serotonin neurotransmitter modulates virulence of enteric pathogens. _Cell Host Microbe_ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2020.05.004 (2020) Article PubMed
Google Scholar Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Nature Reviews Microbiology http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/ Ashley York Authors * Ashley York View author
publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Ashley York. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS
ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE York, A. Host serotonin signals to enteric pathogens. _Nat Rev Microbiol_ 18, 413 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-0403-2 Download citation * Published:
16 June 2020 * Issue Date: August 2020 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-0403-2 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get
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