Pathobiology Graduate Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2019 Nov;192(1):69-82. doi: 10.1007/s12011-019-01877-2. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
The trace element selenium is an essential micronutrient that plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis of several tissues including the immune system of mammals. The vast majority of the biological functions of selenium are mediated via selenoproteins, proteins which incorporate the selenium-containing amino acid selenocysteine. Several bacterial infections of humans and animals are associated with decreased levels of selenium in the blood and an adjunct therapy with selenium often leads to favorable outcomes. Many pathogenic bacteria are also capable of synthesizing selenocysteine suggesting that selenoproteins may have a role in bacterial physiology. Interestingly, the composition of host microbiota is also regulated by dietary selenium levels. Therefore, bacterial pathogens, microbiome, and host immune cells may be competing for a limited supply of selenium. Elucidating how selenium, in particular selenoproteins, may regulate pathogen virulence, microbiome diversity, and host immune response during a bacterial infection is critical for clinical management of infectious diseases.
微量元素硒是一种必需的微量营养素，在维持哺乳动物的免疫系统等多种组织的内环境稳定方面发挥着重要作用。绝大多数硒的生物学功能是通过含硒氨基酸硒代半胱氨酸的硒蛋白来介导的。人类和动物的许多细菌感染都与血液中硒水平降低有关，而硒的辅助治疗通常会带来有利的结果。许多致病性细菌也能够合成硒代半胱氨酸，这表明硒蛋白可能在细菌生理学中发挥作用。有趣的是，宿主微生物组的组成也受到饮食硒水平的调节。因此，细菌病原体、微生物组和宿主免疫细胞可能在争夺有限的硒供应。阐明硒，特别是硒蛋白，如何在细菌感染期间调节病原体毒力、微生物组多样性和宿主免疫反应，对于传染病的临床管理至关重要。
