Gene Symbol | gpx1a |
Entrez Gene ID | 352926 |
Full Name | glutathione peroxidase 1a |
Synonyms | cb690,gpx1,zgc:103683,zgc:92737 |
General protein information |
|
Gene Type | protein-coding |
Organism | Danio rerio(zebrafish) |
Summary | The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the glutathione peroxidase family, members of which catalyze the reduction of organic hydroperoxides and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by glutathione, and thereby protect cells against oxidative damage. Other studies indicate that H2O2 is also essential for growth-factor mediated signal transduction, mitochondrial function, and maintenance of thiol redox-balance; therefore, by limiting H2O2 accumulation, glutathione peroxidases are also involved in modulating these processes. Several isozymes of this gene family exist in vertebrates, which vary in cellular location and substrate specificity. This isozyme is the most abundant, is ubiquitously expressed and localized in the cytoplasm, and whose preferred substrate is hydrogen peroxide. Zebrafish has two paralogs of this isozyme (gpx1a and gpx1b), which exhibit different temporal expression during development. Both are selenoproteins, containing the rare amino acid selenocysteine (Sec) at their active sites. Sec is encoded by the UGA codon, which normally signals translation termination. The 3' UTRs of selenoprotein mRNAs contain a conserved stem-loop structure, designated the Sec insertion sequence (SECIS) element, that is necessary for the recognition of UGA as a Sec codon, rather than as a stop signal. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2016]. |