Omics insights into the responses to dietary selenium

Area of Science:

• Nutritional biochemistry and molecular biology.
• Integrative omics and systems biology.

Background:

• Selenium is a vital trace element with diverse health benefits, including cancer chemoprevention and neuroprotection.
• Dietary selenium levels require careful management due to a narrow window between essential and toxic doses.
• Selenium deficiency has prompted the development of enriched foods and supplements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the application of omics methodologies in understanding dietary selenium metabolism and biological roles in mammals.
• To highlight the insights gained into selenoprotein function, tissue-specific metabolomics, and gut microbiota interactions.

Main Methods:

• Review of omics approaches including proteomics, metallomics, metabolomics, and metataxonomics.
• Integration of omics data with genomics and transcriptomics for a comprehensive view.
• Focus on workflows and applications of omics in selenium research.

Main Results:

• Omics methodologies provide deep insights into selenium metabolism and biological functions.
• Detailed understanding of selenoprotein roles, blood and tissue metabolomics (brain, reproductive organs), and gut microbiota impacts.
• Characterization of selenium's influence on microbial metabolites.

Conclusions:

• Omics approaches are powerful tools for elucidating the complex effects of dietary selenium.
• A deeper understanding of selenium's biological roles and safe supplementation strategies can be achieved through these integrated methods.