Comparative Proteomics Analysis of Selenium Responses in Selenium-Enriched Rice Grains

By foliar fortification with selenite, selenium (Se)-enriched rice with a higher Se content and grain yield has been generated. However, the regulatory mechanisms of Se response in rice grains remain unknown; therefore, we carried out a comparative proteomics study in Se-enriched rice grains by using two approaches including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-coupled MALDI-TOF/TOF MS and 1-DE/LC-FTICR-MS-coupled label-free quantification. By comparison between Se treatment and control, 62 and 250 abundance changed proteins were identified from 2-DE and 1-DE, respectively. By functional classification, proteins involved in metabolism, cell redox regulation, and seed nutritional storage were the most highly affected by Se accumulation. The up-regulation of late embryogenesis abundant proteins as well as proteins involved in sucrose synthesis and other metabolism pathways may contribute to the earlier maturation and higher yield of the Se-enriched rice. In addition, there have been six proteins identified to contain selenoamino acid modification, which is the first identification of selenoproteins in higher plants. In conclusion, our study provided novel insights into Se response in rice grains at the proteome level, which are expected to be highly useful for dissecting the Se response pathways in rice and for the production of Se-enriched rice in the future.