Selenoproteins are a specialized group of enzymes that contain the rare amino acid selenocysteine. They play a cardinal role in the management and regulation of reactive oxygen species, a class of signaling molecules that also causes molecular damage and is implicated in human health and aging. However, despite their importance, selenoproteins remain mostly understudied because of the technical challenges associated with their production and characterization. In my group we combine biochemical and biophysical approaches that enables us to study this elusive protein family in detail. In this talk I will focus on two particular membrane-bound members: selenoprotein S (SelS) and selenoprotein K (SelK). Both are essential for stability of membrane complexes. In addition to the study of particular proteins, my group is also developing biological <sup>77</sup>Se NMR spectroscopy as a probe for macromolecules’ structure, dynamics and function. I will describe our work to enhance data interpretation of <sup>77</sup>Se NMR through close collaborations with theoreticians.

Selenium in biochemistry and biophysics: Novel functions of selenoproteins and new approaches for their characterization

251st National Meeting (2016)

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