How Se deficiency impacts adipocyte function? Is an intact Se metabolism required for lipid accumulation and redox control?

Although the stress response helps an organism adapt to a challenging environment, chronic exposure to stressful stimuli can have negative consequences. Prolonged elevation of glucocorticoid stress hormones, widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory and immuno-suppressive medications, can cause metabolic disturbances, such as over-eating and excess weight gain, as well as neurological symptoms in humans. Our lab investigates the potential for the essential micronutrient selenium to counteract the negative effects of glucocorticoids on a cellular and whole-body level. We have revealed a protective role for selenium against glucocorticoid-induced obesity in mice and are working to determine the underlying mechanisms, with a special emphasis on the brain and other tissues involved in energy balance.

Or: building the phylogenetic tree for the Se recycling enzyme.