Symposium 6: Trace Elements S6-1 - Selenium and Methionine Sulfoxide Reduction

Abstract

Selenium is an essential trace element because it is present in proteins in the form of selenocysteine residue. Functionally characterized selenoproteins are oxidoreductases. Selenoprotein methionine-R-sulfoxide reductase B1 (MsrB1) is a repair enzyme that reduces ROS-oxidized methionine residues in proteins. Here, we explored a possibility that reversible methionine oxidation is also a mechanism that regulates protein function. We found that MsrB1, together with Mical proteins, regulated mammalian actin assembly via stereospecific methionine oxidation and reduction in a reversible, site-specific manner. Two methionine residues in actin were specifically converted to methionine-R-sulfoxide by Mical1 and Mical2 and reduced back to methionine by MsrB1, supporting actin disassembly and assembly, respectively. Macrophages utilized this redox control during cellular activation by stimulating MsrB1 expression and activity. Thus, we identified the regulatory role of MsrB1 as a Mical antagonist in orchestrating actin dynamics and macrophage function. More generally, our study showed that proteins can be regulated by reversible site-specific methionine-R-sulfoxidation and that selenium is involved in this regulation by being a catalytic component of MsrB1.