The algal selenoproteomes
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
The algal selenoproteomes Liang Jiang1,2,3*† , Yiqian Lu1,2†, Lin Zheng1,2, Gaopeng Li1,2, Lianchang Chen1,2, Maona Zhang1,2, Jiazuan Ni1,2,3, Qiong Liu1,2,3 and Yan Zhang1,2,3*
Abstract Background: Selenium is an essential trace element, and selenocysteine (Sec, U) is its predominant form in vivo. Proteins that contain Sec are selenoproteins, whose special structural features include not only the TGA codon encoding Sec but also the SECIS element in mRNA and the conservation of the Sec-flanking region. These unique features have led to the development of a series of bioinformatics methods to predict and research selenoprotein genes. There have been some studies and reports on the evolution and distribution of selenoprotein genes in prokaryotes and multicellular eukaryotes, but the systematic analysis of single-cell eukaryotes, especially algae, has been very limited. Results: In this study, we predicted selenoprotein genes in 137 species of algae by using a program we previously developed. More than 1000 selenoprotein genes were obtained. A database website was built to record these algae selenoprotein genes (www.selenoprotein.com). These genes belong to 42 selenoprotein families, including three novel selenoprotein gene families. Conclusions: This study reveals the primordial state of the eukaryotic selenoproteome. It is an important clue to explore the significance of selenium for primordial eukaryotes and to determine the complete evolutionary spectrum of selenoproteins in all life forms. Keywords: Selenium, Selenoprotein, Algae, Evolution, Genomics
Background Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for many organisms, from bacteria to humans. This micronutrient plays essential roles in redox homeostasis involved in various cellular processes and may provide numerous health benefits, such as preventing cancer and heart disease, boosting immune function, and regulating the aging process [1–5]. The main biological form of Se is selenocysteine, the 21st amino acid in the genetic code, which is encoded by the UGA codon and then cotranslationally incorporated into selenoproteins. In eukaryotes, the mechanism of Sec insertion in response to UGA involves (i) a cis-acting Sec insertion sequence (SECIS) element, which is a highly specific stem-loop structure * Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] † Liang Jiang and Yiqian Lu contributed equally to this work. 1 College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518060, P.R. China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
located in the 3′-UTR of selenoprotein mRNAs, and (ii) several trans-acting factors dedicated to Sec incorporation, including the eukaryotic Sec synthase (SecS), eukaryotic Sec-specific elongation factor (eEFSec), selenophosphate synthetase 2 (SEPHS2), O-phosphoseryltRNA[Ser]Sec kinase (PSTK), SECIS binding protein 2 (SBP2) and additional proteins [6–10]. Identification of full sets of selenoproteins in organisms (called seleno
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