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Lutz Schomburg, Cornelia Riese, Kostja Renko, Ulrich Schweizer
Effect of age on sexually dimorphic selenoprotein expression in mice
Keywords: deiodinase, gender, stability, trace element, translational efficiency
Clinical data suggest that selenium (Se) supplementation decreases disease predisposition and severity and accelerates recovery in a variety of pathologies. Pre-supplementation Se levels and sex represent important determinants of these Se-dependent health effects. Accordingly, we have reported on sexually dimorphic expression patterns of Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase 1, type I deiodinase, and selenoprotein P in young mice; now, we have asked whether these differences vary with age. The strong sexual dimorphic expression of hepatic type I deiodinase that was observed in young mice vanished both on the mRNA and enzyme activity levels by 1 year of age. In contrast, the strong sex-specific differences in renal type I deiodinase mRNA expression were sustained with age. Accordingly, deiodinase enzymatic activities differed in male and female kidneys largely independent of age (average of 6.8 versus 15.7 pmol/(min?mg) in males versus females). In parallel, hepatic Se concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activities increased in female mice as compared to male littermates establishing a new sexual dimorphism in liver. Thus, age represents another important modifier of the dynamic sex- and tissue-specific selenoprotein expression patterns. These data highlight again the unique physiological regulatory mechanisms that have evolved to control Se metabolism according to actual needs of the organism.
Biological Chemistry, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1431-6730
Volume: 2007
Pages: -