Existing research has shown that there are a large amount of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in organisms. Short open reading frames (sORFs) abundantly exist in molecular sequences inaccurately annotated as ncRNAs. Several sORFs can be transcribed and translated into evolutionarily conserved micropeptides, which were ignored in previous studies due to short sequence lengths and the limitations of research techniques. To date, sORF-encoded micropeptides with various functions have been found to play important roles in regulating vital biological activities. This article reviews the functional micropeptides which have been found in recent years, introduces the new micropeptide designated as MIAC that we have discovered and describes the related technologies for mining potential micropeptides, thereby providing insights and references for new micropeptide discovery for researchers.
已有的研究表明,生命体中存在着大量的非编码RNA (non-coding RNA, ncRNA),先前被错误注释为ncRNA的分子序列中实际上包含小的开放阅读框(short open reading frame, sORF),部分sORF可转录并翻译成进化保守的微肽(micropeptide),这些sORF由于序列较短和研究技术手段的限制而被忽略。迄今为止,已在生命体中发现一些sORF编码的功能各异的微肽,它们对生命活动的调控起着重要作用。本文对近年来发现的功能性微肽进行综述,介绍了本课题组发现新型微肽MIAC (micropeptide inhibiting actin cytoskeleton)的过程,同时总结了研究潜在微肽的相关技术,以期为研究人员利用相关技术发现新微肽提供借鉴和参考。.
Keywords: micropeptides; non-coding RNA; small open reading frames.