Description
Glutathione peroxidase 1, also known as, GPX-1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the GPX1 gene. It is mapped to 3p21.31. This gene encodes a member of the glutathione peroxidase family consisting of eight known glutathione peroxidases (Gpx1-8) in humans. Glutathione peroxidase functions in the detoxification of hydrogen peroxide, and is one of the most important antioxidant enzymes in humans. It has been reported that the protein encoded by this gene protects from CD95-induced apoptosis in cultured breast cancer cells and inhibits 5-lipoxygenase in blood cells, and its overexpression delays endothelial cell growth and increases resistance to toxic challenges. GPX1 is one of only a few proteins known in higher vertebrates to contain selenocysteine, which occurs at the active site of glutathione peroxidase and is coded by the nonsense (stop) codon TGA