Selenocysteine tRNA[Ser]Sec Mouse Models for Elucidating Roles of Selenoproteins in Health and Development

Abstract

Selenium (Se), an essential element in the diet of mammals, has been known for many years to play major roles in numerous health benefits and in development. More recently, Se-containing proteins, designated selenoproteins, have been shown to be highly significant components in carrying out these health benefits and also to have essential roles in mammalian development. Se is incorporated into protein as the Se-containing amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec). Selenoprotein synthesis is dependent on Sec tRNA for the insertion of Sec, the 21st amino acid in the genetic code, into protein, providing us with a tool to modulate the expression of selenoproteins by modulating the expression of Sec tRNA. Taking advantage of this dependency, we made various mutants of the Sec tRNA gene that have been used to generate transgenic, conditional knockout, transgenic/knockout and transgenic/conditional knockout mouse models to elucidate many roles of this protein class in health and development.