Selenium biochemistry chemical and physical studies.

A brief discussion of the vast and increasingly important area of organoselenium chemistry is presented as it relates to the biochemistry of this element. Organo selenoamino acids are the basic building blocks of many selenium-containing macromolecules, which are the primary focus of this article. First to be discussed are synthetic selenium analogues of sulfur-containing natural products such as selenocoenzyme A and selenobiotin. Secondly, are those enzymes which will indiscriminately incorporate selenium and the most important of these are considered. Finally, the most important and interesting class of selenium-containing macromolecules are the naturally occurring selenoproteins, of which there are eight currently known and only three which have been extensively studied. Physical studies which relate to or have the potential to aid in investigations of selenium biochemistry constitute the final topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]