Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are important and safe food and feed additives that can be used for dietary supplementation. In this study, a mutagenic strain of Saccharomyces boulardii was employed to obtain biologically synthesized SeNPs (BioSeNPs) with the desired particle size by controlling the dosage and duration of sodium selenite addition, and the average particle size achieved was 55.8 nm with protease A encapsulation. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that increased expression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in the mutant strain effectively promoted the synthesis of BioSeNPs and the formation of smaller nanoparticles. Under sodium selenite stress, the mutant strain exhibited significantly increased expression of glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPx2), which was significantly greater in the mutant strain than in the wild type, facilitating the synthesis of glutathione selenol and providing abundant substrates for the production of BioSeNPs. Furthermore, based on the experimental results and transcriptomic analysis of relevant genes such as sod1, gpx2, the thioredoxin reductase 1 gene (trr1) and the thioredoxin reductase 2 gene (trr2), a yeast model for the size-controlled synthesis of BioSeNPs was constructed. This study provides an important theoretical and practical foundation for the green synthesis of controllable-sized BioSeNPs or other metal nanoparticles with potential applications in the fields of food, feed, and biomedicine.
Keywords: glutathione peroxidase; selenium nanoparticles; superoxide dismutase; transcriptomic analysis; yeast.