Cited by 608Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorTryptophan and brain disordersNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms

A transient placental source of serotonin for the fetal forebrain

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Bonnin, Alexandre, Goeden, Nick, Chen, Kevin, Wilson, Melissa L., King, Jennifer, Shih, Jean C., Blakely, Randy D., Deneris, Evan S. +1 more·2011·Nature

Abstract

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) is thought to regulate neurodevelopmental processes through maternal-fetal interactions that have long-term mental health implications. It is thought that beyond fetal 5-HT neurons there are significant maternal contributions to fetal 5-HT during pregnancy but this has not been tested empirically. To examine putative central and peripheral sources of embryonic brain 5-HT, we used Pet1(-/-) (also called Fev) mice in which most dorsal raphe neurons lack 5-HT. We detected previously unknown differences in accumulation of 5-HT between the forebrain and hindbrain during early and late fetal stages, through an exogenous source of 5-HT which is not of maternal origin. Using additional genetic strategies, a new technology for studying placental biology ex vivo and direct manipulation of placental neosynthesis, we investigated the nature of this exogenous source. We uncovered a placental 5-HT synthetic pathway from a maternal tryptophan precursor in both mice and humans. This study reveals a new, direct role for placental metabolic pathways in modulating fetal brain development and indicates that maternal-placental-fetal interactions could underlie the pronounced impact of 5-HT on long-lasting mental health outcomes.

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  • External neurotransmitter sources, such as the placenta, can play a role in the early shaping of cortical areas.

    “External neurotransmitter sources, such as the placenta, can play a role in this early shaping of cortical areas [114, 118, 241, 242].”

    From Development of prefrontal cortex (2022) · cites this paper as [118]

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Authors
Bonnin, A., Goeden, N., Chen, K., Wilson, M. L., King, J., Shih, J. C., Blakely, R. D., Deneris, E. S., & Levitt, P.
Affiliations
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center (US)
  • Case Western Reserve University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Bonnin, Alexandre
  • Levitt, Pat
Venue
Nature
Published
2011-04-20
Volume
472
Issue
7343
Pages
347-350
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2055466946
Cited by
608
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 42
FWCI
18.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Vanderbilt University
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH39085, R01MH039085, P50MH078028, 1P50MH078280A1)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R21HD065287)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
Keywords
serotonin, placenta, fetal brain development, maternal-fetal interaction, tryptophan metabolism, serotonin synthesis, dorsal raphe neurons, mental health
MeSH terms
Animals, Embryo, Mammalian, Female, Fetus, Humans, Maternal-Fetal Exchange, Placenta, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Raphe Nuclei, Rhombencephalon, Serotonin, Time Factors, Transcription Factors, Prosencephalon, Mice, In Vitro Techniques

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