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Sahgal A, Uversky V, Davé V. Microproteins transitioning into a new Phase: Defining the undefined. Methods 2023; 220:38-54. [PMID: 37890707 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advancements in omics technologies have unveiled a hitherto unknown group of short polypeptides called microproteins (miPs). Despite their size, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that miPs exert varied and potent biological functions. They act in paracrine, juxtracrine, and endocrine fashion, maintaining cellular physiology and driving diseases. The present study focuses on biochemical and biophysical analysis and characterization of twenty-four human miPs using distinct computational methods, including RIDAO, AlphaFold2, D2P2, FuzDrop, STRING, and Emboss Pep wheel. miPs often lack well-defined tertiary structures and may harbor intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that play pivotal roles in cellular functions. Our analyses define the physicochemical properties of an essential subset of miPs, elucidating their structural characteristics and demonstrating their propensity for driving or participating in liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and intracellular condensate formation. Notably, miPs such as NoBody and pTUNAR revealed a high propensity for LLPS, implicating their potential involvement in forming membrane-less organelles (MLOs) during intracellular LLPS and condensate formation. The results of our study indicate that miPs have functionally profound implications in cellular compartmentalization and signaling processes essential for regulating normal cellular functions. Taken together, our methodological approach explains and highlights the biological importance of these miPs, providing a deeper understanding of the unusual structural landscape and functionality of these newly defined small proteins. Understanding their functions and biological behavior will aid in developing targeted therapies for diseases that involve miPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aayushi Sahgal
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; Biotechnology Graduate Program, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
| | - Vladimir Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
| | - Vrushank Davé
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; Biotechnology Graduate Program, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; Department of Oncologic Sciences, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States.
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Vakirlis N, Vance Z, Duggan KM, McLysaght A. De novo birth of functional microproteins in the human lineage. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111808. [PMID: 36543139 PMCID: PMC10073203 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Small open reading frames (sORFs) can encode functional "microproteins" that perform crucial biological tasks. However, their size makes them less amenable to genomic analysis, and their origins and conservation are poorly understood. Given their short length, it is plausible that some of these functional microproteins have recently originated entirely de novo from noncoding sequences. Here we sought to identify such cases in the human lineage by reconstructing the evolutionary origins of human microproteins previously found to have measurable, statistically significant fitness effects. By tracing the formation of each ORF and its transcriptional activation, we show that novel microproteins with significant phenotypic effects have emerged de novo throughout animal evolution, including two after the human-chimpanzee split. Notably, traditional methods for assessing coding potential would miss most of these cases. This evidence demonstrates that the functional potential intrinsic to sORFs can be relatively rapidly and frequently realized through de novo gene emergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Vakirlis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece.
| | - Zoe Vance
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kate M Duggan
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Aoife McLysaght
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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Schnitzer T, Rackl JW, Wennemers H. Stereoselective Peptide Catalysis in Complex Environments – From River Water to Cell Lysates. Chem Sci 2022; 13:8963-8967. [PMID: 36091207 PMCID: PMC9365096 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc02044k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many stereoselective peptide catalysts have been established. They consist, like nature's catalysts, of amino acids but have significantly lower molecular weights than enzymes. Whereas enzymes operate with exquisite chemoselectivity in complex biological environments, peptide catalysts are used in pure organic solvents and at higher concentrations. Can a peptide catalyst exhibit chemoselectivity reminiscent of enzymes? Here, we investigated the properties of tripeptide catalysts in complex mixtures in hydrophobic and aqueous solvents. We challenged the catalysts with biomolecules bearing functional groups that could interfere by coordination or reaction with the peptide, the substrates, or intermediates. H-dPro-αMePro-Glu-NHC12H15 emerged through tailoring of the trans/cis ratio of the tertiary amide as a conformationally well-defined tripeptide that catalyzes C–C bond formations with high reactivity and stereoselectivity – regardless of the solvent and compound composition. The chemoselectivity of the tripeptide is so high that it even catalyzes reactions in cell lysates. The findings provoke the question of the potential role of peptide catalysis in nature and during the evolution of enzymes. The reactivity, stereo-, and chemoselectivity of a tripeptide are so high that it catalyzes conjugate addition reactions with high stereoselectivity in complex compound mixtures—even in cell lysates.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Schnitzer
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Jonas W Rackl
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Helma Wennemers
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3 8093 Zürich Switzerland
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Thambu K, Glomb V, Hernadez R, Facelli JC. Microproteins: a 3D protein structure prediction analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:13738-13746. [PMID: 34705603 PMCID: PMC9489054 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1993343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Microproteins are a novel and expanding group of small proteins encoded by less than 100-150 codons that are translated from small open reading frames (smORFs). It has been shown that smORFs and their corresponding microproteins make up a sizable fraction of the genome and proteome, but very little information on microproteins' structural features exists in the literature. In this paper, we present the results of analyzing the predicted structures of 44 microproteins. The results show that this set of microproteins have a different amino acid composition profiles, similar structural characteristics and fewer small-molecule ligand binding sites than regular proteins.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kishan Thambu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Victoria Glomb
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Rolando Hernadez
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Julio C. Facelli
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Montigny A, Tavormina P, Duboe C, San Clémente H, Aguilar M, Valenti P, Lauressergues D, Combier JP, Plaza S. Drosophila primary microRNA-8 encodes a microRNA-encoded peptide acting in parallel of miR-8. Genome Biol 2021; 22:118. [PMID: 33892772 PMCID: PMC8063413 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02345-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent genome-wide studies of many species reveal the existence of a myriad of RNAs differing in size, coding potential and function. Among these are the long non-coding RNAs, some of them producing functional small peptides via the translation of short ORFs. It now appears that any kind of RNA presumably has a potential to encode small peptides. Accordingly, our team recently discovered that plant primary transcripts of microRNAs (pri-miRs) produce small regulatory peptides (miPEPs) involved in auto-regulatory feedback loops enhancing their cognate microRNA expression which in turn controls plant development. Here we investigate whether this regulatory feedback loop is present in Drosophila melanogaster. RESULTS We perform a survey of ribosome profiling data and reveal that many pri-miRNAs exhibit ribosome translation marks. Focusing on miR-8, we show that pri-miR-8 can produce a miPEP-8. Functional assays performed in Drosophila reveal that miPEP-8 affects development when overexpressed or knocked down. Combining genetic and molecular approaches as well as genome-wide transcriptomic analyses, we show that miR-8 expression is independent of miPEP-8 activity and that miPEP-8 acts in parallel to miR-8 to regulate the expression of hundreds of genes. CONCLUSION Taken together, these results reveal that several Drosophila pri-miRs exhibit translation potential. Contrasting with the mechanism described in plants, these data shed light on the function of yet undescribed primary-microRNA-encoded peptides in Drosophila and their regulatory potential on genome expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Montigny
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Patrizia Tavormina
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Carine Duboe
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Hélène San Clémente
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Marielle Aguilar
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Philippe Valenti
- Laboratoire MCD, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5077, Bat 4R4, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Dominique Lauressergues
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Combier
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France
| | - Serge Plaza
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales, Université de Toulouse 3, CNRS UMR5546, 31320, Auzeville-Tolosane, France.
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Understanding the proteome encoded by "non-coding RNAs": new insights into human genome. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 63:986-995. [PMID: 32318910 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-019-1677-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
A great number of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) account for the majority of the genome. The translation of these ncRNAs has been noted but seriously underestimated due to both technological and theoretical limitations. Based on the development of ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq), full length translating RNA analysis (RNC-seq) and mass spectrometry technology, more and more ncRNAs are being found to be translated in different organism, and some of them can produce functional peptides. While recently, not only individual new functional proteins, but also a new proteome have been experimentally discovered to be encoded by endogenous lncRNAs and circRNAs. These new proteins are of biological significance, suggesting the connection of the translation of ncRNAs to human physiology and diseases. Therefore, an in-depth and systematic understanding of the coding capabilities of ncRNAs is necessary for basic biology and medicine. In this review, we summarize the advances in the field of discovering this new proteome, i.e. "ncRNA-coded" proteins.
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Brunet MA, Leblanc S, Roucou X. Reconsidering proteomic diversity with functional investigation of small ORFs and alternative ORFs. Exp Cell Res 2020; 393:112057. [PMID: 32387289 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.112057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of functional yet non-annotated open reading frames (ORFs) throughout the genome of several species presents an unprecedented challenge in current genome annotation. These novel ORFs are shorter than annotated ones and many can be found on the same RNA, in opposition to current assumptions in annotation methodologies. Whilst the literature lacks consensus, these novel ORFs are commonly referred to as small ORFs (sORFs) or alternative ORFs (alt-ORFs). Unannotated ORFs represent an overlooked layer of complexity in the coding potential of genomes and are transforming our current vision of the nature of coding genes. In this review, we outline what constitutes a sORF or an alt-ORF and emphasize differences between both nomenclatures. We then describe complementary large-scale methods to accurately discover novel ORFs as well as yield functional insights on the novel proteins they encode. While serendipitous discoveries highlighted the functional importance of some novel ORFs, omics methods facilitate and improve their characterization to better understand physiological and pathological pathways. Functional annotation of sORFs, alt-ORFs and their corresponding microproteins will likely help fundamental and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie A Brunet
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada; PROTEO, Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering, Canada.
| | - Sebastien Leblanc
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada; PROTEO, Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering, Canada
| | - Xavier Roucou
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada; PROTEO, Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Structure, and Engineering, Canada.
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Benayoun BA, Lee C. MOTS-c: A Mitochondrial-Encoded Regulator of the Nucleus. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1900046. [PMID: 31378979 PMCID: PMC8224472 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria are increasingly being recognized as information hubs that sense cellular changes and transmit messages to other cellular components, such as the nucleus, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the Golgi apparatus, and lysosomes. Nonetheless, the interaction between mitochondria and the nucleus is of special interest because they both host part of the cellular genome. Thus, the communication between genome-bearing organelles would likely include gene expression regulation. Multiple nuclear-encoded proteins have been known to regulate mitochondrial gene expression. On the contrary, no mitochondrial-encoded factors are known to actively regulate nuclear gene expression. MOTS-c (mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S ribosomal RNA type-c) is a recently identified peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene that has metabolic functions. Notably, MOTS-c can translocate to the nucleus upon metabolic stress (e.g., glucose restriction and oxidative stress) and directly regulate adaptive nuclear gene expression to promote cellular homeostasis. It is hypothesized that cellular fitness requires the coevolved mitonuclear genomes to coordinate adaptive responses using gene-encoded factors that cross-regulate the opposite genome. This suggests that cellular gene expression requires the bipartite split genomes to operate as a unified system, rather than the nucleus being the sole master regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bérénice A Benayoun
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Epigenetics and Gene Regulation Program, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- USC Stem Cell Initiative, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Changhan Lee
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Epigenetics and Gene Regulation Program, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
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Pick a Tag and Explore the Functions of Your Pet Protein. Trends Biotechnol 2019; 37:1078-1090. [PMID: 31036349 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Protein tags have been essential for advancing our knowledge of the function of proteins, their localization, and the mapping of their interaction partners. Expressing epitope-tagged proteins has become a standard practice in every life science laboratory and, thus, continues to enable new studies. In recent years, several new tagging moieties have entered the limelight, many of them bringing new functionalities, such as targeted protein degradation, accurate quantification, and proximity labeling. Other novel tags aim at tackling research questions in challenging niches. In this review, we elaborate on recently introduced tags and the opportunities they provide for future research endeavors. In addition, we highlight how the genome-engineering revolution may boost the field of protein tags.
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Kim SJ, Miller B, Kumagai H, Yen K, Cohen P. MOTS-c: an equal opportunity insulin sensitizer. J Mol Med (Berl) 2019; 97:487-490. [PMID: 30788534 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-019-01758-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Su-Jeong Kim
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA
| | - Brendan Miller
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA
| | - Hiroshi Kumagai
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA
| | - Kelvin Yen
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA
| | - Pinchas Cohen
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA.
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