Selenocysteine tRNA[Ser]Sec: The Central Component of Selenoprotein Biosynthesis

TrsptG37, or TrsptA34 ..............................................................................68 4.8 Concluding Remarks ...................................................................................... 71 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... 72 References ................................................................................................................ 72

Selenium was first shown to be an essential element in the diet of mammals in 1958 when Schwarz and Foltz (1958) reported that this element prevented liver necrosis in rats. Prior to this historic experiment, selenium had been described as a toxin and even a carcinogen (Franke, 1934; Combs and Combs, 1986). Shortly after Schwarz and Foltz’s discovery, the importance of this element in supplementing the diets of livestock became quickly realized, wherein selenium deficiency was associated with a variety of disorders (Oldfield, 2006). Supplementation of the diets of domestic animals with selenium throughout the world was estimated to save the livestock industry in the hundreds of millions of dollars (Combs and Combs, 1986).