The Costimulation of Selenium Treatment and Selenoprotein M Overexpression Significantly Induced the Up- and Down-regulation of ERK MAPK Signaling Pathway in Various Tissues

Selenium (Sel) is widely distributed through the body, and performs a crucial role in the regulation of organ function. In this study, in order to determine whether Sel treatment and selenoprotein M (SelM) overexpression could affect the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, the level of ERK phosphorylation was assessed in various tissues of CMV/ EGFP-hSelM Tg rats after Sel treatment. Herein, our results demonstrated that SelM overexpression induces a slight increase in the ERK MAPK pathway in the heart, liver, and intestine, while no changes were detected in the brain, lung, and kidney. After Sel treatment, the liver and intestine evidenced higher levels of ERK activation than were induced by SelM overexpression. In particular, costimulation with SelM overexpression and Sel treatment induced a dramatic increase in the phosphorylation of ERK in the brain, heart, liver, and intestine, while a reduction in ERK phosphorylation was noted in the kidneys. The results of this study suggest that Sel and SelM may contribute to the regulation of a variety of functions via the induction of ERK phosphorylation in different organs of CMV/EGFP-hSelM Tg rats.