Possible Metabolic Remodeling based on de novo Biosynthesis of L-serine in Se- Subtoxic or Deficient Mammals.

Current research point to an increased risk of diabetes with selenium (Se) intake beyond the physiological requirement used to prevent cancers. The existing hypothesis of "selenoprotein overexpression leads to intracellular redox imbalance" cannot clearly explain the U-shaped dose-effect relationship between Se intake and the risk of diabetes. In this review, it is speculated that metabolic remodeling based on the de novo biosynthesis of L-serine may occur in mammals at supranutritional or subtoxic levels of Se. It is also speculated that a large amount of L-serine is consumed by the body during insufficient Se intake, thus resulting in similar metabolic reprogramming. The increase in atypical ceramide and its derivatives due to the lack of L-serine may also play a role in the development of diabetes.

Low selenium intake is associated with postpartum weight retention in Chinese women and impaired physical development of their offspring.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between daily Se intake and postpartum weight retention (PPWR) among Chinese lactating women, and the impact of their Se nutritional status on infants' physical development. Se contents in breast milk and plasma collected from 264 lactating Chinese women at the 42nd day postpartum were analysed with inductively coupled plasma MS. Daily Se intake was calculated based on plasma Se concentration. The dietary data of 24-h records on three consecutive days were collected. Infant growth status was evaluated with WHO standards by Z-scores. Linear regression analyses and multinomial logistic regression were conducted to examine the impact of Se disequilibrium (including other factors) on PPWR and growth of infants, respectively. The results indicated that: (1) the daily Se intake of the subjects was negatively associated with their PPWR (B = -0·002, 95 % CI - 0·003, 0·000, P = 0·039); (2) both insufficient Se daily intake (B = -0·001, OR 0·999, 95 % CI 0·998, 1·000, P = 0·014) and low level of Se in milk (B = -0·025, OR 0·975, 95 % CI 0·951, 0·999, P = 0·021) had potential associations with their infants' wasting, and low level of Se in milk (B = -0·159, OR 0·853, 95 % CI 0·743, 0·980, P = 0·024) had a significant association with their infants' overweight. In conclusion, the insufficient Se nutritional status of lactating Chinese women was first found as one possible influencing factor of their PPWR as well as low physical development of their offspring.

[Study of selenomethionine on the selenoproteins expression in hepatocyte L02 and the synergistic effect of serine].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of selenomethionine(SeMet)on the selenoproteins expression in hepatocyte L02 and the synergistic effect of serine. METHODS: The L02 cells were cultured and divided into SeMet group and Serine+SeMet group. SeMet dose was set as 0. 001, 0. 01, 0. 1, 1 and 10 µmol/L. Serine and SeMet were mixed according to 2∶1 molar ratio(Serine∶SeMet=2∶1). The L02 cells were cultured for 48 h after SeMet and Serine added. Finally, the cell culture supernatants and homogenates were collected for the selenoprotein P(SEPP)and glutathione peroxidase 1(GPx1)concentrations detection by a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay(ELISA). The expression of SEPP and GPx1 in cell homogenates was detected by western blot(WB). RESULTS: ELISA and WB results showed that GPx1 and SEPP expressions were dose dependent in a low SeMet concentration range, reached their inflection points when SeMet concentration was 1 µmol/L and 0. 1 µmol/L respectively, and began to decrease when SeMet concentration was further increased to 10 µmol/L. WB result showed that serine had a synergistic effect on GPx1 and SEPP expressions as SeMet concentration was 0. 001 µmol/L to 10 µmol/L. CONCLUSION: There was an inflection point in selenium protein synthesis when SeMet acted on normal hepatocyte(L02), the specific mechanism needs to be further explored. Secondly, serine had a synergistic effect on GPx1 and SEPP expressions of SeMet in hepatocyte(L02).

Simple fabrication process for 2D ZnO nanowalls and their potential application as a methane sensor.

Two-dimensional (2D) ZnO nanowalls were prepared on a glass substrate by a low-temperature thermal evaporation method, in which the fabrication process did not use a metal catalyst or the pre-deposition of a ZnO seed layer on the substrate. The nanowalls were characterized for their surface morphology, and the structural and optical properties were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL). The fabricated ZnO nanowalls have many advantages, such as low growth temperature and good crystal quality, while being fast, low cost, and easy to fabricate. Methane sensor measurements of the ZnO nanowalls show a high sensitivity to methane gas, and rapid response and recovery times. These unique characteristics are attributed to the high surface-to-volume ratio of the ZnO nanowalls. Thus, the ZnO nanowall methane sensor is a potential gas sensor candidate owing to its good performance.

The Possible Mechanism of Physiological Adaptation to the Low-Se Diet and Its Health Risk in the Traditional Endemic Areas of Keshan Diseases.

Selenium is an essential trace element for humans and animals. As with oxygen and sulfur, etc., it belongs to the sixth main group of the periodic table of elements. Therefore, the corresponding amino acids, such as selenocysteine (Sec), serine (Ser), and cysteine (Cys), have similar spatial structure, physical, and chemical properties. In this review, we focus on the neglected but key role of serine in a possible mechanism of the physiological adaptation to Se-deficiency in human beings with an adequate intake of dietary protein: the insertion of Cys in place of Sec during the translation of selenoproteins dependent on the Sec insertion sequence element in the 3'UTR of mRNA at the UGA codon through a novel serine-dependent pathway for the de novo synthesis of the Cys-tRNA[Ser]Sec, similar to Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec. We also discuss the important roles of serine in the metabolism of selenium directly or indirectly via GSH, and the maintenance of selenium homostasis regulated through the methylation modification of Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec at the position 34U by SAM. Finally, we propose a hypothesis to explain why Keshan disease has gradually disappeared in China and predict the potential health risk of the human body in the physiological adaptation state of low selenium based on the results of animal experiments.

Deep and alignment free patterned etching of GaN surface using an atomic force microscope.

Successful deep and alignment-free patterned etching on GaN using atomic force microscope (AFM) local oxidation followed by in-situ chemical etching is demonstrated. Oxide ridges are grown on GaN on an AFM by applying positive sample bias at 80% humidity, with the oxidation reaction expedited by UV light. The oxide ridges are then etched by HCl solution, leaving troughs in the GaN surface. A dripping strategy for the in-situ chemical etching is recommended that allows deep, alignment-free multiple AFM oxidation/etching works on the GaN surface without any need of substrate removal from the AFM platform. Repeated etching followed by AFM oxidation on a spot on a GaN surface resulting in a hole as deep as 800 nm was also demonstrated. Further, a preliminary evaluation of the porosity of the AFM-grown oxide indicates that the oxide ridges grown on GaN at an AFM cantilever moving speed of 300 nm/s are porous in structure, with an estimated porosity of 86%, which porosity could be reduced if longer resident time of the AFM cantilever on the target oxidation region was used.

Low-Se Diet Can Affect Sperm Quality and Testicular Glutathione Peroxidase-4 activity in Rats.

This study aimed to observe the influence of selenium (Se) deficiency on sperm quality and selenoprotein expression in rats. Four-week male Wista rats were randomly divided into three groups: Se-A, Se-L, and Se-D (respectively for Se- adequate, low, and deficient group). After 9 weeks, the rats were sacrificed by anesthesia, with the cauda epididymidis quickly fetched for sperm count, motility, and deformity. Meanwhile the blood, liver, brain, heart, and testis were collected for Se and biochemical analysis. It was found that the rats in Se-D had poor growth, while the Se concentrations in blood, liver, and heart for Se-D decreased significantly, compared with Se-A and Se-L (p < 0.01). But no significant difference was observed in testis and brain and also no statistical significance for sperm count. The sperm motility for Se-A (63.07%) was significantly higher than Se-L (53.91%) and Se-D (54.15%). Deformities were observed in both Se-L and Se-D. Both glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) and selenoprotein-P (SEPP1) levels in plasma and tissues of Se-D were significantly lower than those of Se-A and Se-L (p < 0.01). The SEPP1 levels in heart and brain of Se-L were lower than Se-A (p < 0.01). There was no statistical difference for GPx1 between Se-A and Se-L. The GPx4 level in testis of Se-L was lower than Se-A (p < 0.05). However, the SEPP1 in plasma, liver, testis, and the GPx3 level in plasma of Se-L were higher than those of Se-A (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Our results show that dietary Se deficiency could reduce GPx4 and SEPP1 expression in testis, which further influence sperm motility and may cause sperm deformity. Selenoprotein expression in some tissues of Se-L was higher than that of Se-A, but sperm quality and GPx4 expression in testis were not improved for Se-L. Low active pseudoselenoproteins might be synthesized in low-Se condition. The underlying mechanism needs to be further investigated.

Dietary Serine and Sulfate-Containing Amino Acids Related to the Nutritional Status of Selenium in Lactating Chinese Women.

Previous studies suggested that serine can promote the synthesis of selenoproteins and the interaction, transformation, and replacement of serine, cysteine, and selenocysteine have been observed in the human body. This study was designed to clarify whether the dietary intakes of serine and sulfate-containing amino acids (SAAs) could directly affect the selenium (Se) nutritional status or the level of milk Se in lactating women. Breast milk and plasma samples were collected from a total of 264 lactating Chinese women when they revisited their local hospital at the 42nd day postpartum to detect the concentration of Se with ICP-MS and the content of selenoprotein P (SEPP1) and the activity of glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) in the plasma by ELISA. The daily Se intake by each subject was calculated based on her own plasma Se concentration. The 24-h dietary record data for 3 consecutive days were collected to calculate their dietary intakes of protein together with each amino acid daily based on the China Food Composition Tables (CFCT). Ordinal polytomous logistic regression was applied to examine the determinants of BMI values for lactating women. For all subjects, the concentration of plasma SEPP1 and milk Se of participants with insufficient Se intake were significantly associated with the dietary intake of serine and 2 SAAs (methionine and cystine), respectively (P < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between each amino acid related to the synthesis of endogenous serine and every biomarker of the Se nutrition status in subjects with an insufficient dietary protein intake (P > 0.05). The ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that dietary protein intake (ordinal OR 1.012, 95% CI = 0.004-0.020, P = 0.002) and plasma SEPP1 (ordinal OR 0.988, 95% CI = - 0.023 to - 0.001, P = 0.036) affected the BMI value together in these lactating women. In conclusion, dietary serine and SAAs were found to directly affect the nutritional status, and both high protein intake and low plasma SEPP1 might be the health risks in these lactating Chinese women.

Direct patterning of zinc oxide with control of reflected color through nano-oxidation using an atomic force microscope.

Atomic force microscope oxidation on Zn creating amorphous ZnO (a-ZnO) with the a-ZnO showing multiple colors under white light at different oxidation voltages was successfully demonstrated. Simulation of reflected colors at different thicknesses of a-ZnO was also conducted. The presented technique can not only be applied to near diffraction limit multilevel optical data storage, but also makes it possible to represent the color spectra observed in nature at near diffraction limits. It can also be used for device fabrication in situations exploiting the semiconductor nature of ZnO.