Selenoproteins—Regulation

Abstract Selenium is an essential trace element that is required for life, owing to its presence in selenoproteins as the unique amino acid selenocysteine. Selenoproteins are thought to be responsible for most or all of the biological functions of selenium. Incorporation of selenocysteine into proteins requires several specific factors, and it is a tightly regulated process. In addition to the requirement for selenium in selenoprotein biosynthesis, dietary intake of selenium regulates expression or activity of some of the elements of the selenocysteine incorporation machinery. Several transcription factors are implicated in regulating transcription of selenoprotein mRNAs, including members of the NFκB, Nrf2, HIF1, and Sp family. Translation of selenoprotein mRNAs is subject to a hierarchical prioritization that is tissue‐specific and dependent on mechanisms of nonsense‐mediated decay, proper assembling of selenocysteine incorporation factors, as well as selenium concentration. In this article, recent advances in our understanding of the regulation of selenoproteins are discussed.