Targeted deletion of Secisbp2 reduces, but does not abrogate, selenoprotein expression and leads to striatal interneuron loss

Selenoproteins contain the amino acid selenocysteine (Sec). The Sec insertion sequence (SECIS)-binding protein 2 (Secisbp2) binds to SECIS elements in the 3'-UTR of eukaryotic selenoprotein mRNAs. Mutations in SECISBP2 in humans lead to reduced selenoprotein expression thereby affecting thyroid hormone-dependent growth and differentiation processes. The most severe cases also display mental retardation and ataxia. Mouse models are needed to understand selenoprotein-dependent processes underlying the patients' pleiotropic phenotypes. Homozygous Secisbp2 deletion is embryonic lethal. Conditional deletion of Secisbp2 in hepatocytes significantly decreased selenoprotein expression and reduced the abundance of many, but not all, selenoprotein mRNAs. Regarding selenoprotein expression, compensatory Nrf2-dependent gene expression, or embryonic development, phenotypes were always milder in Secisbp2- than in tRNA(Sec)-deficient mice. Neuron-specific inactivation of Secisbp2 reduced cerebral expression of selenoproteins, but allowed to study the development of cortical PVpos interneurons, which are known to depend on selenoproteins. Cre expression spares the cerebellum of these mice, why we suspected that basal ganglia dysfunction may cause the obvious movement phenotype. We observed for the first time that the number of PVpos neurons was reduced by 50% in the caudate putamen of a selenoprotein-deficient mouse model. In situ hybridization for Gad67 showed that selenoprotein deficiency selectively reduced the number of PVpos GABAergic interneurons. We propose that the striatal neuron loss likely causes the movement disorder. The most striking novel finding of this work is the selective damage of PVpos/Gad67pos neurons in the striatum. The second key finding is that selenoprotein expression in hepatocytes and neurons is less dependent on Secisbp2 than on tRNA(Sec). This implies the possibility of Secisbp2-independent selenoprotein expression, albeit on a reduced level.