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Copper interferes with selenoprotein synthesis and activity.

Maria Schwarz1, Kristina Lossow2, Katja Schirl3

  • 1Department of Molecular Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, 07743, Germany; TraceAge-DFG Research Unit on Interactions of Essential Trace Elements in Healthy and Diseased Elderly, Potsdam-Berlin-Jena, Germany.

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Copper negatively impacts essential selenoprotein expression and activity, likely by interfering with UGA recoding. This interaction between copper and selenium status may affect cellular redox balance, particularly during aging.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Human Physiology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Selenium and copper are vital trace elements for human health, crucial for enzyme biosynthesis involved in redox homeostasis.
  • Selenium is integral to selenoproteins (e.g., glutathione peroxidases [GPX], thioredoxin reductases [TXNRD]) via selenocysteine incorporation.
  • Copper-dependent enzymes play key roles in electron transfer and other redox reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that copper status influences selenoprotein expression.
  • To elucidate the interrelationship between copper and selenium in regulating redox homeostasis.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments were conducted using hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells and mice, exposed to varying copper and selenium concentrations.
  • Transcript and protein expression, GPX and TXNRD activities, and UGA recoding efficiency were analyzed.
  • The effects of copper were assessed with and without copper chelators (bathocuproinedisulfonic acid, tetrathiomolybdate).

Main Results:

  • Copper exposure suppressed selenoprotein mRNA levels (GPX1, SELENOW) and downregulated GPX and TXNRD activities in cells.
  • Copper significantly decreased UGA recoding efficiency in reporter cells.
  • In mice, reduced copper supply negatively impacted hepatic TXNRD activity.
  • Copper chelators mitigated the suppressive effects of copper on selenoprotein expression and activity.

Conclusions:

  • A previously unrecognized interaction exists between copper and selenium status.
  • Copper negatively affects selenoprotein expression and activity, primarily by limiting UGA recoding.
  • This interference may have physiological implications, especially during aging, potentially contributing to disease processes by disrupting cellular redox homeostasis.