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Wen K, Chen X, Gu J, Chen Z, Wang Z. Beyond traditional translation: ncRNA derived peptides as modulators of tumor behaviors. J Biomed Sci 2024; 31:63. [PMID: 38877495 PMCID: PMC11177406 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-01047-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Within the intricate tapestry of molecular research, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) were historically overshadowed by a pervasive presumption of their inability to encode proteins or peptides. However, groundbreaking revelations have challenged this notion, unveiling select ncRNAs that surprisingly encode peptides specifically those nearing a succinct 100 amino acids. At the forefront of this epiphany stand lncRNAs and circRNAs, distinctively characterized by their embedded small open reading frames (sORFs). Increasing evidence has revealed different functions and mechanisms of peptides/proteins encoded by ncRNAs in cancer, including promotion or inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, cellular metabolism (glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism), and promotion or concerted metastasis of cancer cells. The discoveries not only accentuate the depth of ncRNA functionality but also open novel avenues for oncological research and therapeutic innovations. The main difficulties in the study of these ncRNA-derived peptides hinge crucially on precise peptide detection and sORFs identification. Here, we illuminate cutting-edge methodologies, essential instrumentation, and dedicated databases tailored for unearthing sORFs and peptides. In addition, we also conclude the potential of clinical applications in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Wen
- Cancer Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210011, P.R. China
| | - Xin Chen
- Cancer Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210011, P.R. China
| | - Jingyao Gu
- Cancer Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210011, P.R. China
| | - Zhenyao Chen
- Department of Respiratory Endoscopy, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200030, P.R. China.
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Zhaoxia Wang
- Cancer Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210011, P.R. China.
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2
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Kamradt ML, Makarewich CA. Mitochondrial microproteins: critical regulators of protein import, energy production, stress response pathways, and programmed cell death. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 325:C807-C816. [PMID: 37642234 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00189.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondria rely upon the coordination of protein import, protein translation, and proper functioning of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes I-V to sustain the activities of life for an organism. Each process is dependent upon the function of profoundly large protein complexes found in the mitochondria [translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOMM) complex, translocase of the inner mitochondrial membrane (TIMM) complex, OXPHOS complexes, mitoribosomes]. These massive protein complexes, in some instances more than one megadalton, are built up from numerous protein subunits of varying sizes, including many proteins that are ≤100-150 amino acids. However, these small proteins, termed microproteins, not only act as cogs in large molecular machines but also have important steps in inhibiting or promoting the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, coordinate responses to cellular stress, and even act as hormones. This review focuses on microproteins that occupy the mitochondria and are critical for its function. Although the microprotein field is relatively new, researchers have long recognized the existence of these mitochondrial proteins as critical components of virtually all aspects of mitochondrial biology. Thus, recent studies estimating that hundreds of new microproteins of unknown function exist and are missing from current genome annotations suggests that the mitochondrial "microproteome" is a rich area for future biological investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Kamradt
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
| | - Catherine A Makarewich
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
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3
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Jaiswal M, Kumar S. smAMPsTK: a toolkit to unravel the smORFome encoding AMPs of plant species. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-13. [PMID: 37464885 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2235605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
The pervasive repertoire of plant molecules with the potential to serve as a substitute for conventional antibiotics has led to obtaining better insights into plant-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The massive distribution of Small Open Reading Frames (smORFs) throughout eukaryotic genomes with proven extensive biological functions reflects their practicality as antimicrobials. Here, we have developed a pipeline named smAMPsTK to unveil the underlying hidden smORFs encoding AMPs for plant species. By applying this pipeline, we have elicited AMPs of various functional activity of lengths ranging from 5 to 100 aa by employing publicly available transcriptome data of five different angiosperms. Later, we studied the coding potential of AMPs-smORFs, the inclusion of diverse translation initiation start codons, and amino acid frequency. Codon usage study signifies no such codon usage biases for smORFs encoding AMPs. Majorly three start codons are prominent in generating AMPs. The evolutionary and conservational study proclaimed the widespread distribution of AMPs encoding genes throughout the plant kingdom. Domain analysis revealed that nearly all AMPs have chitin-binding ability, establishing their role as antifungal agents. The current study includes a developed methodology to characterize smORFs encoding AMPs, and their implications as antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral provided by SVM score and prediction status calculated by machine learning-based prediction models. The pipeline, complete package, and the results derived for five angiosperms are freely available at https://github.com/skbinfo/smAMPsTK.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohini Jaiswal
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
| | - Shailesh Kumar
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
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4
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Sruthi KB, Menon A, P A, Vasudevan Soniya E. Pervasive translation of small open reading frames in plant long non-coding RNAs. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:975938. [PMID: 36352887 PMCID: PMC9638090 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.975938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are primarily recognized as non-coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides with low coding potential and are present in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Recent findings reveal that lncRNAs can code for micropeptides in various species. Micropeptides are generated from small open reading frames (smORFs) and have been discovered frequently in short mRNAs and non-coding RNAs, such as lncRNAs, circular RNAs, and pri-miRNAs. The most accepted definition of a smORF is an ORF containing fewer than 100 codons, and ribosome profiling and mass spectrometry are the most prevalent experimental techniques used to identify them. Although the majority of micropeptides perform critical roles throughout plant developmental processes and stress conditions, only a handful of their functions have been verified to date. Even though more research is being directed toward identifying micropeptides, there is still a dearth of information regarding these peptides in plants. This review outlines the lncRNA-encoded peptides, the evolutionary roles of such peptides in plants, and the techniques used to identify them. It also describes the functions of the pri-miRNA and circRNA-encoded peptides that have been identified in plants.
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5
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Cancer-related micropeptides encoded by ncRNAs: Promising drug targets and prognostic biomarkers. Cancer Lett 2022; 547:215723. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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6
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Small open reading frames in plant research: from prediction to functional characterization. 3 Biotech 2022; 12:76. [PMID: 35251879 PMCID: PMC8873315 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03147-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene prediction is a laborious and time-consuming task. The advancement of sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools, coupled with accelerated rate of ribosome profiling and mass spectrometry development, have made identification of small open reading frames (sORFs) (< 100 codons) in various plant genomes possible. The past 50 years have seen sORFs being isolated from many organisms. However, to date, a comprehensive sORF annotation pipeline is as yet unavailable, hence, addressed in our review. Here, we also provide current information on classification and functions of plant sORFs and their potential applications in crop improvement programs.
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7
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Liang Y, Zhu W, Chen S, Qian J, Li L. Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Small Peptides in Maize. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:695439. [PMID: 34220917 PMCID: PMC8244733 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.695439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Small peptides (sPeptides), <100 amino acids (aa) long, are encoded by small open reading frames (sORFs) often found in the 5' and 3' untranslated regions (or other parts) of mRNAs, in long non-coding RNAs, or transcripts from introns and intergenic regions; various sPeptides play important roles in multiple biological processes. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive study of maize (Zea mays) sPeptides using mRNA sequencing, ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq), and mass spectrometry (MS) on six tissues (each with at least two replicates). To identify maize sORFs and sPeptides from these data, we set up a robust bioinformatics pipeline and performed a genome-wide scan. This scan uncovered 9,388 sORFs encoding peptides of 2-100 aa. These sORFs showed distinct genomic features, such as different Kozak region sequences, higher specificity of translation, and high translational efficiency, compared with the canonical protein-coding genes. Furthermore, the MS data verified 2,695 sPeptides. These sPeptides perfectly discriminated all the tissues and were highly associated with their parental genes. Interestingly, the parental genes of sPeptides were significantly enriched in multiple functional gene ontology terms related to abiotic stress and development, suggesting the potential roles of sPeptides in the regulation of their parental genes. Overall, this study lays out the guidelines for genome-wide scans of sORFs and sPeptides in plants by integrating Ribo-seq and MS data and provides a more comprehensive resource of functional sPeptides in maize and gives a new perspective on the complex biological systems of plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Lin Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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8
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Wilker J, Humphries S, Rosas-Sotomayor JC, Gómez Cerna M, Torkamaneh D, Edwards M, Navabi A, Pauls KP. Genetic Diversity, Nitrogen Fixation, and Water Use Efficiency in a Panel of Honduran Common Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Landraces and Modern Genotypes. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9091238. [PMID: 32961677 PMCID: PMC7569834 DOI: 10.3390/plants9091238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) provides critical nutrition and a livelihood for millions of smallholder farmers worldwide. Beans engage in symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) with Rhizobia. Honduran hillside farmers farm marginal land and utilize few production inputs; therefore, bean varieties with high SNF capacity and environmental resiliency would be of benefit to them. We explored the diversity for SNF, agronomic traits, and water use efficiency (WUE) among 70 Honduran landrace, participatory bred (PPB), and conventionally bred bean varieties (HON panel) and 6 North American check varieties in 3 low-N field trials in Ontario, Canada and Honduras. Genetic diversity was measured with a 6K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, and phenotyping for agronomic, SNF, and WUE traits was carried out. STRUCTURE analysis revealed two subpopulations with admixture between the subpopulations. Nucleotide diversity was greater in the landraces than the PPB varieties across the genome, and multiple genomic regions were identified where population genetic differentiation between the landraces and PPB varieties was evident. Significant differences were found between varieties and breeding categories for agronomic traits, SNF, and WUE. Landraces had above average SNF capacity, conventional varieties showed higher yields, and PPB varieties performed well for WUE. Varieties with the best SNF capacity could be used in further participatory breeding efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Wilker
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (J.W.); (D.T.); (M.E.)
| | - Sally Humphries
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
| | - Juan Carlos Rosas-Sotomayor
- Departamento de Ciencia y Producción Agropecuaria, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana, Zamorano, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras;
| | - Marvin Gómez Cerna
- Fundación para la Investigación Participativa con Agricultores de Honduras, La Ceiba, Atlántida 561, Honduras;
| | - Davoud Torkamaneh
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (J.W.); (D.T.); (M.E.)
| | - Michelle Edwards
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (J.W.); (D.T.); (M.E.)
| | - Alireza Navabi
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (J.W.); (D.T.); (M.E.)
| | - K. Peter Pauls
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (J.W.); (D.T.); (M.E.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-519-824-4120 (ext. 54136)
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9
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Fesenko I, Kirov I, Kniazev A, Khazigaleeva R, Lazarev V, Kharlampieva D, Grafskaia E, Zgoda V, Butenko I, Arapidi G, Mamaeva A, Ivanov V, Govorun V. Distinct types of short open reading frames are translated in plant cells. Genome Res 2019; 29:1464-1477. [PMID: 31387879 PMCID: PMC6724668 DOI: 10.1101/gr.253302.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genomes contain millions of short (<100 codons) open reading frames (sORFs), which are usually dismissed during gene annotation. Nevertheless, peptides encoded by such sORFs can play important biological roles, and their impact on cellular processes has long been underestimated. Here, we analyzed approximately 70,000 transcribed sORFs in the model plant Physcomitrella patens (moss). Several distinct classes of sORFs that differ in terms of their position on transcripts and the level of evolutionary conservation are present in the moss genome. Over 5000 sORFs were conserved in at least one of 10 plant species examined. Mass spectrometry analysis of proteomic and peptidomic data sets suggested that tens of sORFs located on distinct parts of mRNAs and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are translated, including conserved sORFs. Translational analysis of the sORFs and main ORFs at a single locus suggested the existence of genes that code for multiple proteins and peptides with tissue-specific expression. Functional analysis of four lncRNA-encoded peptides showed that sORFs-encoded peptides are involved in regulation of growth and differentiation in moss. Knocking out lncRNA-encoded peptides resulted in a decrease of moss growth. In contrast, the overexpression of these peptides resulted in a diverse range of phenotypic effects. Our results thus open new avenues for discovering novel, biologically active peptides in the plant kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Fesenko
- Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Ilya Kirov
- Laboratory of marker-assisted and genomic selection of plants, All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, 127550 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey Kniazev
- Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Regina Khazigaleeva
- Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Vassili Lazarev
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russian Federation.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russian Federation
| | - Daria Kharlampieva
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Ekaterina Grafskaia
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russian Federation.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russian Federation
| | - Viktor Zgoda
- Laboratory of System Biology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Ivan Butenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Georgy Arapidi
- Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation.,Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Anna Mamaeva
- Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Vadim Ivanov
- Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Vadim Govorun
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russian Federation
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10
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Trujillo DI, Silverstein KAT, Young ND. Nodule-specific PLAT domain proteins are expanded in the Medicago lineage and required for nodulation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 222:1538-1550. [PMID: 30664233 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes is mediated by an interplay of signaling processes between plant hosts and rhizobial symbionts. In legumes, several secreted protein families have undergone expansions and play key roles in nodulation. Thus, identifying lineage-specific expansions (LSEs) of nodulation-associated genes can be a strategy to discover candidate gene families. Using bioinformatic tools, we identified 13 LSEs of nodulation-related secreted protein families, each unique to either Glycine, Arachis or Medicago lineages. In the Medicago lineage, nodule-specific Polycystin-1, Lipoxygenase, Alpha Toxin (PLAT) domain proteins (NPDs) expanded to five members. We examined NPD function using CRISPR/Cas9 multiplex genome editing to create Medicago truncatula NPD knockout lines, targeting one to five NPD genes. Mutant lines with differing combinations of NPD gene inactivations had progressively smaller nodules, earlier onset of nodule senescence, or ineffective nodules compared to the wild-type control. Double- and triple-knockout lines showed dissimilar nodulation phenotypes but coincided in upregulation of a DHHC-type zinc finger and an aspartyl protease gene, possible candidates for the observed disturbance of proper nodule function. By postulating that gene family expansions can be used to detect candidate genes, we identified a family of nodule-specific PLAT domain proteins and confirmed that they play a role in successful nodule formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana I Trujillo
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Kevin A T Silverstein
- Supercomputing Institute for Advanced Computational Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Nevin D Young
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. Sousa
- Ophthalmology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
- Research Service, Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
| | - Michael H. Farkas
- Ophthalmology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
- Research Service, Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
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12
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Khazigaleeva RA, Fesenko IA. Biologically active peptides encoded by small open reading frames. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s106816201706005x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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13
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Hsu PY, Benfey PN. Small but Mighty: Functional Peptides Encoded by Small ORFs in Plants. Proteomics 2017; 18:e1700038. [PMID: 28759167 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201700038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Peptides encoded by small open reading frames (sORFs, usually <100 codons) play critical regulatory roles in plant development and environmental responses. Despite their importance, only a small number of these peptides have been identified and characterized. Genomic studies have revealed that many plant genomes contain thousands of possible sORFs, which could potentially encode small peptides. The challenge is to distinguish translated sORFs from nontranslated ones. Here, we highlight advances in methodologies for identifying these hidden sORFs in plant genomes, including ribosome profiling and proteomics. We also examine the evidence for new peptides arising from sORFs and discuss their functions in plant development, environmental responses, and translational control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philip N Benfey
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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14
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Rasheed S, Bashir K, Nakaminami K, Hanada K, Matsui A, Seki M. Drought stress differentially regulates the expression of small open reading frames (sORFs) in Arabidopsis roots and shoots. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2016; 11:e1215792. [PMID: 27471796 PMCID: PMC5022413 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2016.1215792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing the molecular mechanisms governing the response of plant roots and shoots to drought stress could aid the development of strategies aiming to ameliorate drought stress. Small open reading frames (sORFs), putatively encoding small peptides, may play a significant role in the response to different abiotic stresses. Microarray analyses revealed that after 5, 7 and 9 d of a drought treatment, 2, 77, and 104 sORFs were up-regulated in roots, respectively; while the number of upregulated sORFs in shoots was 12, 45, and 158, respectively. RT-qPCR analysis confirmed the up-regulated expression of ATRIKEN29196 and ATRIKEN32280 specifically in roots. The identified upregulated sORFs, particularly those in roots, may contribute to drought stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sultana Rasheed
- Plant Genomic Network Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Khurram Bashir
- Plant Genomic Network Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kentaro Nakaminami
- Plant Genomic Network Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kousuke Hanada
- Frontier Research Academy for Young Researchers, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan
- CREST, JST, Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Akihiro Matsui
- Plant Genomic Network Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Motoaki Seki
- Plant Genomic Network Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
- CREST, JST, Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
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15
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Hellens RP, Brown CM, Chisnall MAW, Waterhouse PM, Macknight RC. The Emerging World of Small ORFs. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 21:317-328. [PMID: 26684391 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2015.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Small open reading frames (sORFs) are an often overlooked feature of plant genomes. Initially found in plant viral RNAs and considered an interesting curiosity, an increasing number of these sORFs have been shown to encode functional peptides or play a regulatory role. The recent discovery that many of these sORFs initiate with start codons other than AUG, together with the identification of functional small peptides encoded in supposedly noncoding primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRs), has drastically increased the number of potentially functional sORFs within the genome. Here we review how advances in technology, notably ribosome profiling (RP) assays, are complementing bioinformatics and proteogenomic methods to provide powerful ways to identify these elusive features of plant genomes, and highlight the regulatory roles sORFs can play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger P Hellens
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Chris M Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Matthew A W Chisnall
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Peter M Waterhouse
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Richard C Macknight
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd.
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16
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Zanet J, Chanut-Delalande H, Plaza S, Payre F. Small Peptides as Newcomers in the Control of Drosophila Development. Curr Top Dev Biol 2016; 117:199-219. [PMID: 26969979 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the last century, studies using the fruit fly have contributed to the discovery of many key genetic elements that control animal development. Recent work has shed light on an unexpectedly large number of RNAs that lack the classical hallmarks of protein-coding genes and are thus referred to as noncoding RNAs. However, there is mounting evidence that both mRNA and noncoding RNAs often contain small open reading frames (sORFs/smORFs), which can be translated into peptides. While genome-wide profiling supports a pervasive translation of these noncanonical sORF/smORF/SEP peptides, their functions remain poorly understood. Here, we review recent data obtained in Drosophila demonstrating the overlooked role of smORF peptides in the control of development and adult life. Focusing on a few smORF peptides whose functions have been elucidated recently, we discuss the importance of these newly identified regulatory molecules and how they act to regulate the building and function of the whole organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zanet
- Centre de Biologie du Développement, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France; Centre de Biologie du Développement, CNRS, UMR5547, Toulouse, France
| | - H Chanut-Delalande
- Centre de Biologie du Développement, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France; Centre de Biologie du Développement, CNRS, UMR5547, Toulouse, France
| | - Serge Plaza
- Centre de Biologie du Développement, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France; Centre de Biologie du Développement, CNRS, UMR5547, Toulouse, France.
| | - Francios Payre
- Centre de Biologie du Développement, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France; Centre de Biologie du Développement, CNRS, UMR5547, Toulouse, France.
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Aghamirzaie D, Batra D, Heath LS, Schneider A, Grene R, Collakova E. Transcriptome-wide functional characterization reveals novel relationships among differentially expressed transcripts in developing soybean embryos. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:928. [PMID: 26572793 PMCID: PMC4647491 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2108-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcriptomics reveals the existence of transcripts of different coding potential and strand orientation. Alternative splicing (AS) can yield proteins with altered number and types of functional domains, suggesting the global occurrence of transcriptional and post-transcriptional events. Many biological processes, including seed maturation and desiccation, are regulated post-transcriptionally (e.g., by AS), leading to the production of more than one coding or noncoding sense transcript from a single locus. RESULTS We present an integrated computational framework to predict isoform-specific functions of plant transcripts. This framework includes a novel plant-specific weighted support vector machine classifier called CodeWise, which predicts the coding potential of transcripts with over 96 % accuracy, and several other tools enabling global sequence similarity, functional domain, and co-expression network analyses. First, this framework was applied to all detected transcripts (103,106), out of which 13 % was predicted by CodeWise to be noncoding RNAs in developing soybean embryos. Second, to investigate the role of AS during soybean embryo development, a population of 2,938 alternatively spliced and differentially expressed splice variants was analyzed and mined with respect to timing of expression. Conserved domain analyses revealed that AS resulted in global changes in the number, types, and extent of truncation of functional domains in protein variants. Isoform-specific co-expression network analysis using ArrayMining and clustering analyses revealed specific sub-networks and potential interactions among the components of selected signaling pathways related to seed maturation and the acquisition of desiccation tolerance. These signaling pathways involved abscisic acid- and FUSCA3-related transcripts, several of which were classified as noncoding and/or antisense transcripts and were co-expressed with corresponding coding transcripts. Noncoding and antisense transcripts likely play important regulatory roles in seed maturation- and desiccation-related signaling in soybean. CONCLUSIONS This work demonstrates how our integrated framework can be implemented to make experimentally testable predictions regarding the coding potential, co-expression, co-regulation, and function of transcripts and proteins related to a biological process of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delasa Aghamirzaie
- Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Dhruv Batra
- Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Lenwood S Heath
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Andrew Schneider
- Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Ruth Grene
- Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Eva Collakova
- Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
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18
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Tavormina P, De Coninck B, Nikonorova N, De Smet I, Cammue BPA. The Plant Peptidome: An Expanding Repertoire of Structural Features and Biological Functions. THE PLANT CELL 2015; 27:2095-118. [PMID: 26276833 PMCID: PMC4568509 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.15.00440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/25/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Peptides fulfill a plethora of functions in plant growth, development, and stress responses. They act as key components of cell-to-cell communication, interfere with signaling and response pathways, or display antimicrobial activity. Strikingly, both the diversity and amount of plant peptides have been largely underestimated. Most characterized plant peptides to date acting as small signaling peptides or antimicrobial peptides are derived from nonfunctional precursor proteins. However, evidence is emerging on peptides derived from a functional protein, directly translated from small open reading frames (without the involvement of a precursor) or even encoded by primary transcripts of microRNAs. These novel types of peptides further add to the complexity of the plant peptidome, even though their number is still limited and functional characterization as well as translational evidence are often controversial. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the reported types of plant peptides, including their described functional and structural properties. We propose a novel, unifying peptide classification system to emphasize the enormous diversity in peptide synthesis and consequent complexity of the still expanding knowledge on the plant peptidome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Tavormina
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000 Leuven, Belgium Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Barbara De Coninck
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000 Leuven, Belgium Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Natalia Nikonorova
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium Department of Plant Biotechnology and Genetics, Ghent University, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ive De Smet
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium Department of Plant Biotechnology and Genetics, Ghent University, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Bruno P A Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), B-3000 Leuven, Belgium Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
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Crappé J, Van Criekinge W, Menschaert G. Little things make big things happen: A summary of micropeptide encoding genes. EUPA OPEN PROTEOMICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.euprot.2014.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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20
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Marmiroli N, Maestri E. Plant peptides in defense and signaling. Peptides 2014; 56:30-44. [PMID: 24681437 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2014.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Revised: 03/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on plant peptides involved in defense against pathogen infection and those involved in the regulation of growth and development. Defense peptides, defensins, cyclotides and anti-microbial peptides are compared and contrasted. Signaling peptides are classified according to their major sites of activity. Finally, a network approach to creating an interactomic peptide map is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Marmiroli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
| | - Elena Maestri
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11A, 43124 Parma, Italy
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21
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Emerging evidence for functional peptides encoded by short open reading frames. Nat Rev Genet 2014; 15:193-204. [PMID: 24514441 DOI: 10.1038/nrg3520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 381] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Short open reading frames (sORFs) are a common feature of all genomes, but their coding potential has mostly been disregarded, partly because of the difficulty in determining whether these sequences are translated. Recent innovations in computing, proteomics and high-throughput analyses of translation start sites have begun to address this challenge and have identified hundreds of putative coding sORFs. The translation of some of these has been confirmed, although the contribution of their peptide products to cellular functions remains largely unknown. This Review examines this hitherto overlooked component of the proteome and considers potential roles for sORF-encoded peptides.
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22
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Brylinski M. Exploring the "dark matter" of a mammalian proteome by protein structure and function modeling. Proteome Sci 2013; 11:47. [PMID: 24321360 PMCID: PMC3866606 DOI: 10.1186/1477-5956-11-47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of evidence shows that gene products encoded by short open reading frames play key roles in numerous cellular processes. Yet, they are generally overlooked in genome assembly, escaping annotation because small protein-coding genes are difficult to predict computationally. Consequently, there are still a considerable number of small proteins whose functions are yet to be characterized. RESULTS To address this issue, we apply a collection of structural bioinformatics algorithms to infer molecular function of putative small proteins from the mouse proteome. Specifically, we construct 1,743 confident structure models of small proteins, which reveal a significant structural diversity with a noticeably high helical content. A subsequent structure-based function annotation of small protein models exposes 178,745 putative protein-protein interactions with the remaining gene products in the mouse proteome, 1,100 potential binding sites for small organic molecules and 987 metal-binding signatures. CONCLUSIONS These results strongly indicate that many small proteins adopt three-dimensional structures and are fully functional, playing important roles in transcriptional regulation, cell signaling and metabolism. Data collected through this work is freely available to the academic community at http://www.brylinski.org/content/databases to support future studies oriented on elucidating the functions of hypothetical small proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Brylinski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 70803 Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
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23
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Lu Y, Zhuang Y, Liu J. Mining antimicrobial peptides from small open reading frames in Ciona intestinalis. J Pept Sci 2013; 20:25-9. [PMID: 24254748 DOI: 10.1002/psc.2584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Revised: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 10/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Though being able to encode various kinds of bioactive peptides, small open reading frames (sORFs) are poorly annotated in many genomic data. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of sORFs in encoding antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the basal chordate model Ciona intestinalis. About 4.8 m genomic sequence was first retrieved for sORFs mining by the program sORF finder, then the sORFs were translated into amino acid sequences for AMP prediction via CAMP server, and thereafter, ten putative AMPs were selected for expression and antimicrobial activity validation. In total, over 180 peptides deduced from the sORFs were predicted to be AMPs. Among the ten tested peptides, six were found to have significant expressed sequence tag matches, providing strong evidence for gene expression; five were proved to be active against the bacterial strains. These results indicate that many sORFs in C. intestinalis genome contain AMP information. This work can serve as an important initial step to investigate the role of sORFs in the innate defense of C. intestinalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongzhong Lu
- Biology Department, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
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