Comparison of soilless and soil based selenium biofortification methods in Allium genus and identification of selenium uptake
genes in Brassica and Arabidopsis
using associative transcriptomics
Publication Date
December 12, 2025
Creator
Abstract
Malnutrition is a global problem underlying many of the health crises of today. Nutrient deficiency is a type of malnutrition commonly caused by undereating or an imbalanced diet. Insufficient uptake of essential nutrients can lead to a large number of health complications.
Selenium (Se) is one such nutrient, involved in antioxidant defence mechanisms via its appearance in defensive enzymes as a component of the 21 amino acid selenocysteine. These enzymes scavenge free radicals and prevent DNA and protein damage.
Se deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory disease, a decline in male fertility, a weakened immune system and many cancers. A major source of Se uptake in humans is through dietary plant consumption. Increasing Se levels in plants may thus be a useful strategy for combatting Se deficiency.
There are two ways to achieve this: the selection of crops with a greater propensity for high Se uptake and active Se biofortification. It is thus important to find genes involved in plant Se regulation and explore the best methods for plant biofortification in order to achieve an optimal outcome.
This thesis identified an Arabidopsis Thaliana gene (Desi1) involved in Se uptake and found hydroponics to be the most efficient biofortification method for Se in glasshouse plants. Extracts from Se biofortified crops were active antioxidant agents and induced cell death in HepG2 cancerous cell lines.
Future research should explore which Desi1 alleles result in the highest levels of Se uptake and whether the high Se content in these biofortified crops translate to higher Se levels in humans when consumed regularly.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
PhD
Supervisors
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
School of Biosciences (UK)
eprints ID
82287
UoN Repository URI
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Sahar Sheikhalivand.pdf
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