PUBLICATION
Unveiling tryptophan dynamics and functions across model organisms via quantitative imaging
- Authors
- Wang, K., Chen, T.L., Zhang, X.X., Cao, J.B., Wang, P., Wang, M., Du, J.L., Mu, Y., Tao, R.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-241114-81
- Date
- 2024
- Source
- BMC Biology 22: 258258 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Du, Jiu Lin
- Keywords
- Bacteria, Human serum, Mitochondria, Tryptophan quantitative imaging, Zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Humans
- Kynurenine/metabolism
- Inflammation/metabolism
- Zebrafish*
- Tryptophan*/metabolism
- Mitochondria/metabolism
- Animals
- PubMed
- 39538250 Full text @ BMC Biol.
Citation
Wang, K., Chen, T.L., Zhang, X.X., Cao, J.B., Wang, P., Wang, M., Du, J.L., Mu, Y., Tao, R. (2024) Unveiling tryptophan dynamics and functions across model organisms via quantitative imaging. BMC Biology. 22:258258.
Abstract
Background Tryptophan is an essential amino acid involved in critical cellular processes in vertebrates, serving as a precursor for serotonin and kynurenine, which are key neuromodulators to influence neural and immune functions. Systematic and quantitative measurement of tryptophan is vital to understanding these processes.
Results Here, we utilized a robust and highly responsive green ratiometric indicator for tryptophan (GRIT) to quantitatively measure tryptophan dynamics in bacteria, mitochondria of mammalian cell cultures, human serum, and intact zebrafish. At the cellular scale, these quantitative analyses uncovered differences in tryptophan dynamics across cell types and organelles. At the whole-organism scale, we revealed that inflammation-induced tryptophan concentration increases in zebrafish brain led to elevated serotonin and kynurenine levels, prolonged sleep duration, suggesting a novel metabolic connection between immune response and behavior. Moreover, GRIT's application in detecting reduced serum tryptophan levels in patients with inflammation symptoms suggests its potential as a high-throughput diagnostic tool.
Conclusions In summary, this study introduces GRIT as a powerful method for studying tryptophan metabolism and its broader physiological implications, paving the way for new insights into the metabolic regulation of health and disease across multiple biological scales.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping