The effects of selenium on the metabolism of methionine in sheep.

Two groups of sheep fed a diet of hay known to produce nutritional muscular dystrophy, one group of which received selenium supplementation, were used to study the effects of selenium on the metabolism of administered L-(35S) methionine by rumen microflora. Rumen bacterial proteins of the Se supplemented sheep contained significantly higher levels of radiosulfur than the bacterial protein of the non-supplemented sheep. Of hte L-(35S) methionine present in the rumen liquor samples from Se-supplemented sheep 2 h after administration, 13.3% of the amino acid, which was measured as methionine sulfone, was found in the microbial proteins. A large proportion of the administered labeled methionine was resynthesized as cyst(e)ine which may account in part for that determined as cysteic acid in rumen bacterial and plasma proteins. The observed low levels of radiosulfur found in rumen microflora from selenium deficient wethers, indicates that the presence of selenium profoundly affects the rate of methionine metabolism and the distribution of methionine in rumen bacterial and protozoal proteins. In another experiment, the effect of selenium on the metabolism of L-(Me-3H) methionine was studied. The selenium status of the sheep had no significant effect (P greater than 0.05) on the distribution of 35S radioactivity in the blood plasma and tissues.