{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Lemieux GA"],"funding":["NIDDK NIH HHS","NIA NIH HHS","NIEHS NIH HHS","NIH HHS"],"pagination":["119-31"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4334586"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["160(1-2)"],"pubmed_abstract":["The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism is involved in the pathogenesis of several brain diseases, but its physiological functions remain unclear. We report that kynurenic acid, a metabolite in this pathway, functions as a regulator of food-dependent behavioral plasticity in C. elegans. The experience of fasting in C. elegans alters a variety of behaviors, including feeding rate, when food is encountered post-fast. Levels of neurally produced kynurenic acid are depleted by fasting, leading to activation of NMDA-receptor-expressing interneurons and initiation of a neuropeptide-y-like signaling axis that promotes elevated feeding through enhanced serotonin release when animals re-encounter food. Upon refeeding, kynurenic acid levels are eventually replenished, ending the elevated feeding period. Because tryptophan is an essential amino acid, these findings suggest that a physiological role of kynurenic acid is in directly linking metabolism to activity of NMDA and serotonergic circuits, which regulate a broad range of behaviors and physiologies."],"journal":["Cell"],"pubmed_title":["Kynurenic acid is a nutritional cue that enables behavioral plasticity."],"pmcid":["PMC4334586"],"funding_grant_id":["P30 DK063720","U01 ES019458","R21 ES021412","U01ES019458","P40 OD010440","R01 AG046400"],"pubmed_authors":["Werb Z","Cunningham KA","Mayer F","Lemieux GA","Lin L","Ashrafi K"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Kynurenic acid is a nutritional cue that enables behavioral plasticity.","description":"The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism is involved in the pathogenesis of several brain diseases, but its physiological functions remain unclear. We report that kynurenic acid, a metabolite in this pathway, functions as a regulator of food-dependent behavioral plasticity in C. elegans. The experience of fasting in C. elegans alters a variety of behaviors, including feeding rate, when food is encountered post-fast. Levels of neurally produced kynurenic acid are depleted by fasting, leading to activation of NMDA-receptor-expressing interneurons and initiation of a neuropeptide-y-like signaling axis that promotes elevated feeding through enhanced serotonin release when animals re-encounter food. Upon refeeding, kynurenic acid levels are eventually replenished, ending the elevated feeding period. Because tryptophan is an essential amino acid, these findings suggest that a physiological role of kynurenic acid is in directly linking metabolism to activity of NMDA and serotonergic circuits, which regulate a broad range of behaviors and physiologies.","dates":{"release":"2015-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2015 Jan","modification":"2025-05-29T21:21:56.078Z","creation":"2025-05-29T21:21:56.078Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC4334586","cross_references":{"pubmed":["25594177"],"doi":["10.1016/j.cell.2014.12.028"]}}