RT Journal Article
T1 Bioelectrical State of Bacteria Is Linked to Growth Dynamics and Response to Neurotransmitters: Perspectives for the Investigation of the Microbiota–Brain Axis
A1 Muñoz Rodríguez, David
A1 Bourqqia Ramzi, Marwane
A1 García Esteban, María Teresa
A1 Murciano Cespedosa, Antonio
A1 Vián Herrero, Alejandro
A1 Lombardo Hernández, Juan
A1 García Pérez, Pablo
A1 Conejero Meca, Francisco
A1 Mateos González, Álvaro
A1 Geuna, Stefano
A1 Herrera Rincón, Celia
AB Inter-cellular communication is mediated by a sum of biochemical, biophysical, and bioelectrical signals. This might occur not only between cells belonging to the same tissue and/or animal species but also between cells that are, from an evolutionary point of view, far away. The possibility that bioelectrical communication takes place between bacteria and nerve cells has opened exciting perspectives in the study of the gut microbiota–brain axis. The aim of this paper is (i) to establish a reliable method for the assessment of the bioelectrical state of two bacterial strains: Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri); (ii) to monitor the bacterial bioelectrical profile throughout its growth dynamics; and (iii) to evaluate the effects of two neurotransmitters (glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid-GABA) on the bioelectrical signature of bacteria. Our results show that membrane potential (Vmem) and the proliferative capacity of the population are functionally linked in B. subtilis in each phase of the cell cycle. Remarkably, we demonstrate that bacteria respond to neural signals by changing Vmem properties. Finally, we show that Vmem changes in response to neural stimuli are present also in a microbiota-related strain L. reuteri. Our proof-of-principle data reveal a new methodological approach for the better understanding of the relation between bacteria and the brain, with a special focus on gut microbiota. Likewise, this approach will open exciting perspectives in the study of the inter-cellular mechanisms which regulate the bi-directional communication between bacteria and neurons and, ultimately, for designing gut microbiota–brain axis-targeted treatments for neuropsychiatric diseases.
PB MDPI
SN 1661-6596
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/98368
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/98368
LA eng
NO Muñoz-Rodríguez, D.; Bourqqia-Ramzi, M.; García-Esteban, M.T.; Murciano-Cespedosa, A.; Vian, A.; Lombardo-Hernández, J.; García-Pérez, P.; Conejero, F.; Mateos González, Á.; Geuna, S.; et al. Bioelectrical State of Bacteria Is Linked to Growth Dynamics and Response to Neurotransmitters: Perspectives for the Investigation of the Microbiota–Brain Axis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 13394. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713394
NO FundingThis research was funded by the Ramon y Cajal program through the Spanish Ministry of Science, Research Agency to C. H-R. (RYC2020-029499-I). This research was funded in part by Templeton World Charity Foundation to C. H-R. (TWCF0241 and TWCF0503). For open access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright license to any author-accepted manuscript version arising from this submission.
NO Templeton World Charity Foundation
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 3 ago 2025