Effects of alterations in selenium recycling

Abstract

Introduction: Selenium (Se), an essencial nutritional oligoelement, is largely used to produce the unique amino acid selenocysteine (Sec), which is cotranslationally incorporated into selenoproteins. Se for Sec biosynthesis is thought to derive either from diet or via selenium recycling after selenoprotein degradation. Selenocysteine lyase (Sec lyase or Scly) is responsible for cellular selenium recycling, thus being important in selenoprotein biosynthesis. Objective: The studies proposed herein will improve our understanding and insights regarding the effects of alterations in selenium metabolism, mainly recycling in cell culture and animal models. Methodology: Age-matched homozygous KO mice and wild-type (WT) homozygous littermates and/or C57BL/6J animals will be used in experiments. Total selenium content in the plasma and liver will be assessed by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Western Blot will be performed to measure expression of selenoproteins GPx1, SelS, and SPS2. Knockdown of Scly in Hepa1-6 cells will be confirmed by real-time qPCR, and palmitate treatment. (AU)