Figure 7. SELENOP is reduced in human UC and is inversely associated with disease severity.

(A) Expression of SELENOP and other antioxidant selenoproteins queried from the PROTECT cohort. (B) Log-transformed SELENOP expression stratified by clinical severity scores (n=20 control, 54 mild UC, and 152 moderate-severe UC samples). (C) Log-transformed SELENOP expression in transcripts per million (TPM) correlated to log-transformed expression of a component of the inflammatory marker calprotectin, S100A8. (D) SELENOP expression was visualized by RNAscope in resected normal (n=6) and UC colonic tissues (n=5). Staining intensity was scored from 0–4 in both epithelial and myeloid populations. Quantification and (E) representative images. Dotted lines = inset area, red arrowheads = differentiated epithelium, blue arrowheads = myeloid cells, scale bars = 100μm. (F) SELENOP expression was visualized by RNAscope in a TMA containing UC tissues without active disease (uninvolved, n=8) or colitis with no dysplasia (colitis, n=51), low-grade dysplasia (LGD, n=74), high-grade dysplasia (HGD, n=24), and cancer (CAC, n=28). Staining was scored separately in epithelial (left) and myeloid populations (right). *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ****P<0.0001, one-way ANOVA followed by post-test for linear trend (B), Pearson’s correlation coefficient (C), Mann-Whitney test (D) or one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test (F). For F, * = significance vs. normal, § = significance vs. colitis, and # = significance vs. LGD.