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Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for autism
Author(s) -
Patrick Rhonda P.,
Ames Bruce N.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.13-246546
Subject(s) - autism , calcitriol receptor , endocrinology , medicine , oxytocin , oxytocin receptor , tryptophan hydroxylase , vasopressin , tph2 , serotonin , vitamin d and neurology , hormone , parathyroid hormone , vasopressin receptor , chemistry , receptor , biology , psychiatry , serotonergic , calcium , antagonist
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)D 3 ]; 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. FASEB J . 28, 2398–2413 (2014). www.fasebj.org