The Expression of Chicken Selenoprotein W, Selenocysteine-synthase (SecS), and Selenophosphate Synthetase-1 (SPS-1) in CHO-K1 Cells

Selenoprotein W (SelW) has been found to be ubiquitously expressed in tissues in vivo and was purified more than 18 years ago. However, little in vitro research has been performed on SelW from birds. To detect the mRNA levels of chicken SelW in cultured cell lines, chicken SelW cDNA was cloned into an expression vector. The chicken SelW expression construct was then transfected into CHO-K1 cells. Using RT-PCR and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, we detected the expression of the chicken SelW mRNA. Moreover, the selenocysteine-synthase (SecS) and selenophosphate synthetase-1 (SPS-1) mRNA levels were analyzed. The expression of SelW was detected in SelW-transfected cells; no expression was observed in control cells. Significant increases in the SelW mRNA levels were obtained in chicken SelW-transfected cells relative to control cells. SecS mRNA levels were significantly increased in chicken SelW transfected cells. No significant difference in the SPS-1 level was observed. Our findings show that chicken SelW could be studied in vitro and that SecS and SPS-1 may have potential roles in SelW biosynthesis.