title: Analysis of selenocysteine-containing proteins.
abstract: Representatives of three primary life domains--bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes--possess specific selenium-containing proteins. The majority of naturally occurring selenoproteins contain an amino acid, selenocysteine, that is incorporated into protein in response to the code word UGA. The presence of selenium in natural selenoproteins and in proteins in which this element is introduced by chemical or biological manipulations provides additional opportunities for characterizing structure, function, and mechanism of action. This unit provides an overview of known selenocysteine-containing proteins, examples of targeted incorporation of selenium into proteins, and methods specific for selenoprotein identification and characterization.
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Gladyshev
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hatfield
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D005815:Genetic Code / Q000235:genetics; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D012345:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012644:Selenium Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry; D017279:Selenocysteine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D051140:Selenoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012345:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific; D012644:Selenium Radioisotopes; D051140:Selenoproteins; C036928:tRNA, selenocysteine-; D017279:Selenocysteine