Selenium : its molecular biology and role in human health / edited by Dolph L. Hatfield.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Hatfield, Dolph L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Selenium--Health aspects.

Selenium.

Selenium--Physiological effect.

Selenium in human nutrition.

Nutrition.

Medical Subjects:

Selenium.

Nutrition.

Physical Description:

xviii, 326 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, [2001]

Summary:

As discussed in this book, a large body of evidence indicatesthat selenium is a cancer chemopreventive agent. Further evidencepoints to a role of this element in reducing viral expression, inpreventing heart disease, and other cardiovascular and muscledisorders, and in delaying the progression of AIDS in HIV infectedpatients. Selenium may also have a role in mammalian development, inmale fertility, in immune function and in slowing the aging process.The mechanism by which selenium exerts its beneficial effects onhealth may be through selenium-containing proteins. Selenium isincorporated into protein as the amino acid selenocysteine.Selenocysteine utilizes a specific tRNA, a specific elongation factor, a specific set of signals, and the codeword, UGA, for itscotranslational insertion into protein. It is indeed the 21stnaturally occurring amino acid to be incorporated into protein andmarks the first and only expansion of the genetic code since the codewas deciphered in the mid 1960s.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0792373359

OCLC:

45908952