L-Selenocystine

L-Selenocystine is a diselenide-bridged amino acid that may be confused with selenocysteine (Sec), which is a rare amino acid featuring a single selenium atom. L-Selenocystine is a redox-active selenium compound that has both anti- and pro-oxidant actions.^1,2 This compound can be reduced by low molecular thiols and disulfide reductases to Sec. It is reduced to Sec by mammalian thioredoxin reductase (apparent K_m = 6.0 µM), and this property can be used to assay thioredoxin reductase activity.^2,3 L-Selenocystine induces an unfolded protein response, ER stress, and large cytoplasmic vacuolization in HeLa cells and has cytostatic effects in a range of cancer cell types.^2,4

WARNING This product is not for human or veterinary use.

1. Spallholz, J.E. On the nature of selenium toxicity and carcinostatic activity. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 17(1), 45-64 (1994).

2. Misra, S., Boylan, M., Selvam, A., et al. Redox-active selenium compounds—from toxicity and cell death to cancer treatment. Nutrients 7(5), 3536-3556 (2015).

3. Cunniff, B., Snider, G.W., Fredette, N., et al. A direct and continuous assay for the determination of thioredoxin reductase activity in cell lysates. Anal. Biochem. 443(1), 34-40 (2013).

4. Wallenberg, M., Misra, S., Wasik, A.M., et al. Selenium induces a multi-targeted cell death process in addition to ROS formation. J. Cell. Mol. Med. 18(4), 671-684 (2014).