The influence of selenium and selenoprotein gene variants on colorectal cancer risk

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of mortality throughout the world and risk of CRC is known to be modulated by nutritional factors. Low intake of the micronutrient selenium (Se) has been implicated as a risk factor in CRC, and in this article we describe the biochemical functions of selenium in selenoproteins, review the evidence for an association of selenium status with CRC and adenoma risk and describe the genetic epidemiological data on selenoprotein genes and CRC risk. Epidemiological evidence linking Se intake to CRC risk is limited but there is strong evidence for a link to adenoma risk. Two studies show an association between a genetic variant in the selenoprotein S gene and CRC risk. Selenium intake modulates selenoprotein expression in the colon, especially selenoproteins W, H, M, 15 kDa selenoprotein and glutathione peroxidase 1, and downstream targets such as endoplasmic reticulum stress response, oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. We hypothesis that Se, through the selenoproteins, plays a key role in the ability of colonic epithelial cells to respond to microbial and oxidative challenges and that a combination of low Se intake and SNP in selenoprotein genes can impair that role and so lead to increased risk of pre-neoplastic lesions. There is a need for both further studies of selenoprotein function in the colon and major genetic epidemiological and intervention studies.