Abstract
Evolution from fish to mammals was accompanied by decreased use of selenocysteine, raising questions about the need for selenium dietary supplements when pathology is not imminent.
Highlights
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that occurs in proteins in the form of selenocysteine (Sec)
We report on the use of Selenoprotein P (SelP), selenoproteomes and Sec/Cys transitions as a genetic marker to assess the status and evolutionary trends in Sec and Se utilization
In the current study, genomics analyses suggested a trend toward reduced utilization of Se in mammals, which could be seen at the level of both Sec content of SelP and unidirectional Sec/Cys transitions in vertebrate selenoproteins
Summary
We report that the amino-terminal domain of SelP is distantly related to ancestral bacterial thiol oxidoreductases of the thioredoxin superfamily, and that its carboxy-terminal Se transport domain may have originated in early metazoan evolution by de novo accumulation of Sec residues. Reconstruction of evolutionary changes in the Se transport domain indicates a decrease in Sec content of SelP in the mammalian lineage via replacement of Sec with cysteine (Cys). Sec content of mammalian SelPs varies more than two-fold and is lowest in rodents and primates. Fish show higher Sec content of SelP, larger selenoproteomes, elevated SelP gene expression, and higher levels of tissue Se. In addition, mammals replaced Sec with Cys in several proteins and lost several selenoproteins altogether, whereas such events are not found in fish
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