Jacqueline K. Evenson

Selenium status highly regulates selenoprotein mRNA levels for only a subset of the selenoproteins in the selenoproteome.

Gpx (glutathione peroxidase)-1 enzyme activity and mRNA levels decrease dramatically in Se (selenium) deficiency, whereas other selenoproteins are less affected by Se deficiency. This hierarchy of Se regulation is not understood, but the position of the UGA selenocysteine codon is thought to play a major role in making selenoprotein mRNAs susceptible to nonsense-mediated decay. Thus in the present paper we studied the complete selenoproteome in the mouse to uncover additional selenoprotein mRNAs that are highly regulated by Se status. Mice were fed on Se-deficient, Se-marginal and Se-adequate diets (0, 0.05 and 0.2 microg of Se/g respectively) for 35 days, and selenoprotein mRNA levels in liver and kidney were determined using microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR analysis. Se-deficient mice had liver Se concentrations and liver Gpx1 and thioredoxin reductase activities that were 4, 3 and 3% respectively of the levels in Se-adequate mice, indicating that the mice were Se deficient. mRNAs for Selh (selenoprotein H) and Sepw1 (selenoprotein W) as well as Gpx1 were decreased by Se deficiency to <40% of Se-adequate levels. Five and two additional mRNAs were moderately down-regulated in Sedeficient liver and kidney respectively. Importantly, nine selenoprotein mRNAs in liver and fifteen selenoprotein mRNAs in the kidney were not significantly regulated by Se deficiency, clearly demonstrating that Se regulation of selenoprotein mRNAs is not a general phenomenon. The similarity of the response to Se deficiency suggests that there is one underlying mechanism responsible. Importantly, the position of the UGA codon did not predict susceptibility to Se regulation, clearly indicating that additional features are involved in causing selenoprotein mRNAs to be sensitive to Se status.

Transcript Analysis of the Selenoproteome Indicates That Dietary Selenium Requirements of Rats Based on Selenium-Regulated Selenoprotein mRNA Levels Are Uniformly Less Than Those Based on Glutathione Peroxidase Activity

Dietary selenium (Se) requirements in rats have been based largely upon glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) enzyme activity and Gpx1 mRNA levels can also be used to determine Se requirements. The identification of the complete selenoprotein proteome suggests that we might identify additional useful molecular biomarkers for assessment of Se status. To characterize Se regulation of the entire rat selenoproteome, weanling male rats were fed a Se-deficient diet (<0.01 microg Se/g) supplemented with graded levels of Se (0-0.8 microg/g diet) for 28 d, Se status was determined by tissue Se concentration and selenoenzyme activity, and selenoprotein mRNA abundance in liver, kidney, and muscle was determined by quantitative real-time-PCR. Tissue Se and selenoenzyme biomarkers indicated that minimal Se requirements were <or=0.1 microg Se/g diet for most biomarkers. Liver Gpx1 mRNA also decreased to <10% of Se-adequate levels, with a minimum Se requirement at 0.07 microg/g diet. Five selenoprotein mRNA in liver, 4 in kidney, and 2 in muscle decreased to <41% of Se-adequate levels, all with minimum Se requirements at <or=0.07 microg/g diet; the majority of selenoprotein mRNA in each tissue were not significantly regulated by Se status, and 1 selenoprotein, selenophosphate synthetase-2, was upregulated in Se-deficient kidney. Plateau breakpoints for all regulated selenoprotein mRNA were very similar, suggesting that 1 underlying mechanism is in play in Se regulation of selenoprotein mRNA. Lastly, we did not find any selenoprotein mRNA that could be used as biomarkers for super-nutritional/anticarcinogenic levels (up to 0.8 microg Se/g diet) of Se.

Longitudinal selenium status in healthy British adults: assessment using biochemical and molecular biomarkers.

Human selenium (Se) requirements are currently based on biochemical markers of Se status. In rats, tissue glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) mRNA levels can be used effectively to determine Se requirements; blood Gpx1 mRNA levels decrease in Se-deficient rats, so molecular biology-based markers have potential for human nutrition assessment. To study the efficacy of molecular biology markers for assessing Se status in humans, we conducted a longitudinal study on 39 subjects (age 45 +/- 11) in Reading, UK. Diet diaries (5 day) and blood were obtained from each subject at 2, 8, 17 and 23 weeks, and plasma Se, glutathione peroxidase (Gpx3) enzyme activity, and selenoprotein mRNA levels were determined. There were no significant longitudinal effects on Se biomarkers. Se intake averaged 48 +/- 14 microg/d. Plasma Se concentrations averaged 1.13 +/- 0.16 micromol/l. Plasma Se v. energy-corrected Se intake (ng Se/kJ/d) was significantly correlated, but neither Gpx3 activity v. Se intake (ng Se/kJ/d) nor Gpx3 activity v. plasma Se was significantly correlated. Collectively, this indicates that subjects were on the plateaus of the response curves. Selenoprotein mRNAs were quantitated in total RNA isolated from whole blood, but mRNA levels for Gpx1, selenoprotein H, and selenoprotein W (all highly regulated by Se in rodents), as well selenoprotein P, Gpx3, and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase were also not significantly correlated with plasma Se. Thus selenoprotein molecular biomarkers, as well as traditional biochemical markers, are unable to further distinguish differences in Se status in these Se replete subjects. The efficacy of molecular biomarkers to detect Se deficiency needs to be tested in Se-deficient populations.

Selenium requirements are higher for glutathione peroxidase-1 mRNA than gpx1 activity in rat testis.

Selenium (Se) plays a critical role in testis, sperm, and reproduction, and testis Se levels are remarkably maintained in Se deficiency. In most other tissues, Se levels decrease dramatically as do levels of most selenoproteins and levels of a subset of Se-regulated selenoprotein mRNAs. Because of the recent identification of key molecules in the targeted trafficking of Se to the testis, we examined the hierarchy of Se regulation in testis by determining the dietary Se regulation of the full testis selenoproteome in rats fed graded levels of Se (0 to 0.8 μg Se/g) as Na2SeO3 for 28 d. Se status did not significantly affect testis weight or glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) activity (P > 0.05). qRT-PCR analysis of selenoprotein mRNA expression revealed that 21 of the 24 selenoprotein mRNAs and ApoER2 mRNA (the selenoprotein P [Sepp1] receptor) were also not regulated significantly by dietary Se status. In contrast, Gpx1 activity decreased to 28% of Se-adequate levels, and mRNA levels for Gpx1, Sepp1, and Sepw1 (selenoprotein W) decreased significantly in Se-deficient rats to 45, 46, and 55%, respectively, of Se-adequate plateau levels. Overlap of hyperbolic Gpx4 activity and Sepw1 mRNA response curves with testis Se concentration, all with minimum dietary Se requirements <0.016 μg Se/g, showed the priority for synthesis of Gpx4. Higher minimum dietary Se requirements of 0.04 μg Se/g for Gpx1 activity and Sepp1 mRNA, and the even higher minimum dietary Se requirement of 0.08 μg Se/g for Gpx1 mRNA, suggest that the hierarchy of these biomarkers reflects distinct, lower priority pools, cell types, and roles for Se within the testis.

Blood glutathione peroxidase-1 mRNA levels can be used as molecular biomarkers to determine dietary selenium requirements in rats.

Transcript (mRNA) levels are increasingly being used in medicine as molecular biomarkers for disease and disease risk, including use of whole blood as a target tissue for analysis. Development of blood molecular biomarkers for nutritional status, too, has potential application that parallels opportunities in medicine, including providing solid data for individualized nutrition. We previously reported that blood glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) mRNA was expressed at levels comparable to major tissues in rats and humans. To determine the efficacy of using blood Gpx1 mRNA to assess selenium (Se) status and requirements, we fed graded levels of Se (0–0.3 μg Se/g as selenite) to weanling male rats. Se status was determined by liver Se concentration and selenoenzyme activity, and selenoprotein mRNA abundance in liver and blood was determined by ribonuclease protection analysis. Liver Se and plasma glutathione peroxidase-3 and liver Gpx1 activities indicated that minimal Se requirements were at 0.08 μg Se/g diet. When total RNA was isolated from whole blood, Gpx1 mRNA in Se-deficient rats decreased to 10% of levels in Se-adequate (0.2 μg Se/g diet) rats. With Se supplementation, blood Gpx1 mRNA levels increased sigmoidally to a plateau with a minimum Se requirement of 0.08 μg Se/g diet, whereas glutathione peroxidase-4 mRNA levels were unaffected. Similarly, Gpx1 mRNA in RNA isolated from fractionated red blood cells decreased in Se-deficient rats to 23% of Se-adequate levels, with a minimum Se requirement of 0.09 μg Se/g diet. Additional studies showed that the preponderance of whole blood Gpx1 mRNA arises from erythroid cells, most likely reticulocytes and young erythrocytes. In summary, whole blood selenoprotein mRNA levels can be used as molecular biomarkers for assessing Se requirements, illustrating that whole blood has potential as a target tissue in development of molecular biomarkers for use in nutrition as well as in medicine.