MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, China.
Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai). 2022 Mar 25;54(3):292-300. doi: 10.3724/abbs.2022010.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) transcribed in mammals and eukaryotes were thought to have no protein coding capability. However, recent studies have suggested that plenty of lncRNAs are mis-annotated and virtually contain coding sequences which are translated into functional peptides by ribosomal machinery, and these functional peptides are called micropeptides or small peptides. Here we review the rapidly advancing field of micropeptides translated from putative lncRNAs, describe the strategies for their identification, and elucidate their critical roles in many fundamental biological processes. We also discuss the prospects of research in micropeptides and the potential applications of micropeptides.
长非编码 RNA（lncRNA）在哺乳动物和真核生物中被转录，人们认为它们没有蛋白质编码能力。然而，最近的研究表明，大量的 lncRNA 被错误注释，实际上包含编码序列，这些编码序列被核糖体机制翻译成具有功能的肽，这些具有功能的肽被称为微肽或小肽。在这里，我们综述了从推定的 lncRNA 翻译而来的微肽这一快速发展的领域，描述了它们的鉴定策略，并阐明了它们在许多基本生物学过程中的关键作用。我们还讨论了微肽研究的前景和微肽的潜在应用。
