Direct interaction between selenoprotein P and tubulin

Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Jun 6;15(6):10199-214. doi: 10.3390/ijms150610199.

Abstract

Selenium (Se), an essential trace element for human health, mainly exerts its biological function via selenoproteins. Among the 25 selenoproteins identified in human, selenoprotein P (SelP) is the only one that contains multiple selenocysteines (Sec) in the sequence, and has been suggested to function as a Se transporter. Upon feeding a selenium-deficient diet, mice lacking SelP develop severe neurological dysfunction and exhibit widespread brainstem neurodegeneration, indicating an important role of SelP in normal brain function. To further elucidate the function of SelP in the brain, SelP was screened by the yeast two-hybrid system from a human fetal brain cDNA library for interactive proteins. Our results demonstrated that SelP interacts with tubulin, alpha 1a (TUBA1A). The interaction between SelP and tubulin was verified by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assays. We further found that SelP interacts with the C-terminus of tubulin by its His-rich domain, as demonstrated by FRET and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) assays. The implications of the interaction between SelP and tubulin in the brain and in Alzheimer's disease are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
  • Gene Library
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • Protein Interaction Maps
  • Selenoprotein P / chemistry
  • Selenoprotein P / genetics
  • Selenoprotein P / metabolism*
  • Tubulin / chemistry
  • Tubulin / metabolism*
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • Selenoprotein P
  • TUBA1A protein, human
  • Tubulin