Alternative pathway for dopamine production by acetogenic gut bacteria that O-Demethylate 3-Methoxytyramine, a metabolite of catechol O-Methyltransferase.

This is the first report that gut bacteria can synthesize dopamine by O-demethylation of 3MT. Owing to 3MT being the product of host COMT attenuating dopamine levels, gut bacteria that reverse this transformation-converting 3MT to dopamine-may act as a counterbalance for dopamine regulation by COMT.