Effects of alterations in selenium recycling

• Grant number: 14/22628-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: March 02, 2015
• End date: June 01, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Anderson Marliere Navarro
• Grantee: Lígia Moriguchi Watanabe
• Supervisor: Marla J. Berry
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/25228-4 - Speciation of selenium and their relation with the time of exposure to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients, BP.MS

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)