Abstract
Effect of selenium (Se) supplementation on the selenoprotein and lipid metabolism gene expression patterns in ruminants, especially in lambs is not yet fully understood. The aim of study was to evaluate the effect of Se supplementation on the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression patterns of selected selenoproteins and genes related to lipid metabolism in growing lambs. The experiment was conducted on 48 Polish Merino lambs divided into two groups (n = 24): control (C)—lambs fed with a basal diet (BD) with no Se supplementation, and supplemented (S)—lambs fed with a BD, supplemented with 0.5 mg Se/kg as sodium selenate for 8 weeks. Expression of 12 selenoproteins and six genes related to lipid metabolism was analyzed in the liver and longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle of growing lambs by qPCR. Significant differences were found in the expression of GPX1, GPX2, SEPM, SEPW1, SEP15, SEPGS2, and TXNRD1 in the liver, and GPX1, SEPP1, SEPN1, SEPW1, SEP15, and MSRB1 in the LD muscle between S and C lambs. Se supplementation mainly upregulated SEPW1, SEP15 (P < 0.001; P < 0.01) mRNA expression in the liver, and GPX1, SEPP1, SEPN1, SEPW1 (P < 0.001; P < 0.01) in the muscle of S group. On the other hand, significant decrease in GPX2 (P < 0.01), SEPM (P < 0.001), and SEPHS2 (P < 0.01) mRNA expression levels were observed in the liver of S group of lambs. Se supplementation did not affect PON1, LXRα, and PPARα mRNA expression levels, but a significant increase in mRNA levels of APOE and LPL in the LD muscle (P < 0.05) as well as LPL (P < 0.05) in the liver were noticed in the group of Se supplemented lambs. Our study confirmed that, in lambs, similarly to other species, mRNA expression patterns of several selenoproteins highly depend on dietary Se levels, and their expression is ruled by hierarchical principles and tissue-specific mechanisms. Moreover, the study showed that changes Se intake leads to different levels of genes expression related with lipid metabolism.
Highlights
Along with the development of nutrigenomics, increased interest in the molecular mechanism of macro- and micronutrient action, its influence on human and animal genomes, and —their health
Effect of Se Supplementation on messenger RNA (mRNA) Level of Selenoprotein Genes in the Liver and Muscle Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assays (qPCR) analysis showed that investigated genes were expressed in both tissues, but relative higher mRNA levels were found in the liver, which indicates that the liver is more responsive to changes in dietary Se levels than the muscle
That the liver ranks higher than the muscles in the hierarchy of Se source and metabolism [34] and that the hepatic antioxidant system plays an important role in mammals [35]
Summary
Along with the development of nutrigenomics, increased interest in the molecular mechanism of macro- and micronutrient action, its influence on human and animal genomes, and —their health. At least 25 selenoprotein genes in animals and humans have been identified and several families of selenoproteins have been classified according to their biological function: (1) peroxidase and reductase activity; (2) hormone metabolism; (3) protein folding; (4) redox signalling; (5) Sec synthesis, and (6) selenium transport [2, 6, 8, 9]. Among these selenoproteins, the important are glutathione peroxidase family (GPXs), thioredoxin reductase (TRXRs), iodothyronine deiodinase (DIOs), and selenoprotein W, N, and P [2, 10]. New groups of selenoproteins have been classified including SEP15, SEPHS2, SEPM, MSRB1, and selenoproteins I, N, V, O, H, T, K, and S, but the function of many of them is still unknown [8]
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