SeLENOZYME active recombinant selenoproteins

In humans, there are 25 selenoprotein-encoding genes, which are involved in diverse metabolic and physiological functions ranging from antioxidant defence to fertility, muscle development and function, thyroid hormone metabolism and immune function. Several selenoproteins also have major importance in cancer, both as enzymes protecting cells from carcinogenesis and as target proteins for anticancer drug therapies. Consequently, the range of pathologies associated with primary or secondary defects in selenoprotein functions are many.

All selenoproteins contain a rare amino acid, selenocysteine, which has limited their use in research, therapy and diagnostics. Up until now, customers have been forced to purchase either inactive selenoproteins, lacking the essential selenocysteine residue, or active selenoproteins obtained from animal sources, which are ethically questionable and provide very low yields.

SeLENOZYME says it is the world’s sole producer of active recombinant selenoproteins. Since all selenoproteins by definition contain the rare amino acid Selenocysteine (Sec), it has previously been hard to obtain them in pure form or to produce them recombinantly, due to the complex genetic system required for co-translational Sec insertion. SeLENOZYME’s recombinant production system uses bacteria instead of mammalian cells, designed to make the production of active selenoproteins more effective. The selenoproteins are available at any desired scale or purity.