antioxidant tagged posts

The eEFSec elongation factor. Credit: Miljan Simonovic

Humans need 8 essential trace elements for good health, and one of them is selenium – a powerful antioxidant important for thyroid and brain function as well as metabolism. But trace elements can’t be used by the body until they are integrated into a protein molecule. Selenium is unique because it is folded into its protein while the protein molecule is still being made. All other trace elements are added to their respective protein molecules after the cell has finished synthesizing the protein. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered exactly how selenium is incorporated into selenoproteins.

Proteins are made by linking amino acids together, one at a time, in a chain...

•SQSTM1/p62 is ubiquitylated by TRIM21 at K7 via K63-linkage •p62 K7 ubiquitylation prevents its dimerization and sequestration •TRIM21 negatively regulates Keap1 sequestration and anti-oxidative response •TRIM21 null liver and heart are protected from oxidative tissue damage

Protein (p62), which is supposed to act as an antioxidant to prevent cell damage, was found not work efficiently in laboratory mice with liver and heart disease that mimicked these conditions in humans. This caused oxidative stress and allowed the release of harmful molecules, called free radicals, which resulted in serious illness. One of the body’s first lines of defense, the cells antioxidant response system is supposed to prevent these harmful invaders from causing a domino effect and damaging other cells.