The research group led by Chinese Academician Jiazuan Ni (College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University), focused on studying the functions of selenoproteins in central nervous system for more than 3 decades. They compared the mRNA levels of various selenoproteins in different neurocytes to provide the evidence for further studies. They also established diverse gene knockout mice models to monitor the biological functions of individual selenoprotein, especially in brain. Moreover, they attempted replenishing organic or inorganic forms of selenium to observe their therapeutic effects on neurodegenerative disease models, such as Alzheimer' disease, since it was characterized by imbalanced redox status, besides the amyloid-plaques and inflammations.
In this paper, they presented a comprehensive summary on how Se is utilized and transported to the brain, how selenoproteins are biosynthesized and function physiologically in the brain, and how selenoproteins are involved in neurodegenerative diseases. They reported the functions of individual selenoprotein that learned from not only clinical studies but also knockout mice models, as well as the role of selenium in encephalopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and autism. This paper will help the readers to learn the basic functions of selenium as an essential biological trace element, the roles of versatile selenoproteins in diverse biological processes, and the most cutting-edge knowledge about the relations between selenium and neurodegenerative diseases.
