Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Signal Mediators Are Targets of Selenium Action

A monomethylated selenium metabolite, called methylseleninic acid (MSA), has recently been shown to cause global thiol redox modification of proteins. These changes represent a form of cellular stress due to protein misfolding or unfolding. An accumulation of aberrantly folded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers a defined set of transducers to correct the defects or commit the cells to apoptosis if the rescue effort is exhausted....