From Nutrition and Metabolism Center,
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, USA
by authors Rhonda P. Patrick and Bruce N. Ames
Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for autism
Abstract
Serotonin and vitamin D have been proposed to play a role in autism;
however, no causal mechanism has been established. Here, we present
evidence that vitamin D hormone (calcitriol) activates the transcription
of the serotonin-synthesizing gene tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) in
the brain at a vitamin D response element (VDRE) and represses the
transcription of TPH1 in tissues outside the blood-brain barrier at a
distinct VDRE. The proposed mechanism explains 4 major characteristics
associated with autism: the low concentrations of serotonin in the brain
and its elevated concentrations in tissues outside the blood-brain
barrier; the low concentrations of the vitamin D hormone precursor
25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D3]; the high male prevalence of autism; and
the presence of maternal antibodies against fetal brain tissue. Two
peptide hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, are also associated with
autism and genes encoding the oxytocin-neurophysin I preproprotein, the
oxytocin receptor, and the arginine vasopressin receptor contain VDREs
for activation. Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan is a
practical and affordable solution to help prevent autism and possibly
ameliorate some symptoms of the disorder.—Patrick, R. P., Ames, B. N.
Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for
autism
http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2014/02/14/fj.13-246546.abstract
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