Selenoprotein F knockout leads to glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in mice

Selenoprotein F (Selenof), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein, is considered to be involved in glycoprotein folding and quality control in the ER. However, its function has not yet been thoroughly addressed. In this study, proteomics analysis revealed that Selenof deficiency in mice led to the differential expression of hepatic proteins associated with glucose and lipid metabolism. The phenotype analysis revealed that Selenof knockout mice showed glucose intolerance and insulin reduction, even with a normal diet. Additionally, Selenof knockout exacerbated high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, and hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, lipoprotein lipase and carboxylesterase 1D, two glycoproteins involved in lipid metabolism, were significantly decreased in the liver of Selenof knockout mice with a normal or high-fat diet. Collectively, these findings suggested that Selenof deficiency might cause the perturbation of glycoprotein quality control and thus contribute to glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, implying a novel biological function of Selenof.