RUI: Proteasomal Removal of Selenoproteins in Plants

动物(包括人类)需要硒来制造氨基酸硒半胱氨酸，该氨基酸用于合成必需的硒蛋白。相比之下，植物不需要硒，也不制造特定的硒蛋白。尽管如此，植物可以积累硒，并在提供人类消耗的大部分膳食硒方面发挥重要作用。然而，当硒半胱氨酸被结合到蛋白质中时，过量的硒会导致植物的毒性。植物中的硒蛋白很可能是错误折叠的，因此被泛素-蛋白酶体途径移除。这个项目的目标是了解蛋白酶体和谷胱甘肽在去除植物中的硒蛋白和减轻它们的毒性方面的作用。更广泛的影响。该项目将直接在卡罗莱纳海岸大学培训10名本科生，其中包括残疾学生。该项目还将促进以实验室为基础的高级课程“植物适应压力”的发展，该课程将把这项研究与教学相结合。

Animals (including humans) require selenium to make the amino acid selenocysteine, which is used in the synthesis of essential selenoproteins. In contrast, plants do not require selenium or make specific selenoproteins. Nonetheless, plants can accumulate selenium and play a vital role in providing most of the dietary selenium consumed by humans. However, an excess of selenium leads to toxicity in plants when selenocysteine is incorporated into proteins. Selenoproteins in plants are likely misfolded, and are therefore removed by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. The goal of this project is to understand the role of the proteasome and glutathione in removing selenoproteins and alleviating their toxicity in plants. Broader Impacts. The project will directly allow the training of ten undergraduate students, including students with disabilities, at Coastal Carolina University. This project will also facilitate the development of an upper-level laboratory-based class "Plant Adaptations to Stress" which will integrate this research with teaching.