Biofortification of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit with the anticancer compound methylselenocysteine using a selenocysteine methyltransferase from a selenium hyperaccumulator

Methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys) is an amino acid derivative that possesses potent anticancer activity in animals. Plants that can tolerate growth on soils with high Se content, known as Se hyperaccumulators, do so by converting inorganic Se to MeSeCys by the enzyme selenocysteine methyltransferase (SMT). A cDNA encoding the SMT from a Se hyperaccumulator was overexpressed in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Transgenic plants were provided with selenite or selenate to the roots during fruit development, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to show that MeSeCys accumulated in the fruit but not in the leaves. Depending on the transgenic line and Se treatment, up to 16% of the total Se in the fruit was present as MeSeCys. MeSeCys was produced more effectively from selenite on a percentage conversion basis, but greater accumulation of MeSeCys could be achieved from selenate due to its better translocation from the roots. MeSeCys was heat stable and survived processing of the fruit to tomato juice.