The Grx (glutaredoxin) proteins are oxidoreductases with a central function in maintaining the redox balance within the cell. In the present study, we have explored the reactions between selenium compounds and the glutaredoxin system. Selenite, GS-Se-SG (selenodiglutathione) and selenocystine were all shown to be substrates of human Grx1, implying a novel role for the glutaredoxins in selenium ...

The problem of selenium poisoning in farm animals has excited interest both from an academic and practical point of view. However, since the pioneering work of K. W. Franke and his coworkers, and the discovery of selenium in toxic grains by Robinson,’ relatively less attention has been paid to the mode of action of selenium compounds or means of detoxification. At an early date Hofmeister (1) r...

According to the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer (NPC) trial, a selenized yeast supplement containing selenium, 200 mcg/day, decreased the incidence of total cancer, cancers of the prostate, colon and lung, and cancer mortality. The active agent in the selenized yeast supplement was assumed to be selenomethionine (SEMET), although the supplement had not been well speciated. The SELECT study, l...

Despite the widely accepted belief that selenium toxicity in plants is manifested by the misincorporation of selenocysteine into selenoproteins, there is a lack of data suggesting that selenoproteins are malformed or misfolded. Plant mechanisms to prevent the formation of selenoproteins are associated with increased selenium tolerance, yet there is no evidence to suggest that selenoproteins are...

Selenium and vitamin E exert powerful effects in reducing acute or chronic methylmercury toxicity. Levels of selenium normally found in foods (below 1 ppm) delay the onset of toxic signs caused by much higher levels of methylmercury. Tissue levels of mercury in selenium-supplemented animals equal or exceed those found in animals given methylmercury alone. Selenium does not appear to act by simp...

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that functions as an antioxidant. Yet, at higher concentrations, selenium is pro-oxidant and toxic. In extreme cases, exposures to excess selenium can lead to death or selenosis, a syndrome characterized by teeth, hair and nail loss, and nervous system alterations. Recent interest in selenium as an anti- tumorigenic agent has reemphasized the need to under...

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient for many organisms but also toxic at higher concentrations. Both selenium deficiency and toxicity are serious problems worldwide. Owing to the similarity of selenium to sulfur, plants readily take up and assimilate selenate via sulfur transporters and enzymes and can even volatilize selenium. Selenium accumulating or volatilizing plants may be used for phytoreme...

Selenium compounds are known as cancer preventive agents and are also able to ameliorate the toxicity associated with anti-cancer radiation and chemotherapy in mouse models. Sensitivity to the toxicity of chemotherapy is also modulated by the circadian clock, molecular time-keeping system that underlie daily fluctuations in multiple physiological and biochemical processes. Here we show that the...