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Revisiting sORFs: overcoming challenges to identify and characterize functional microproteins
The FEBS Journal ( IF 5.5 ) Pub Date : 2021-02-17 , DOI: 10.1111/febs.15769
Dörte Schlesinger 1, 2 , Simon J Elsässer 1, 2
The FEBS Journal ( IF 5.5 ) Pub Date : 2021-02-17 , DOI: 10.1111/febs.15769
Dörte Schlesinger 1, 2 , Simon J Elsässer 1, 2
Affiliation
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Short ORFs (sORFs), that is, occurrences of a start and stop codon within 100 codons or less, can be found in organisms of all domains of life, outnumbering annotated protein-coding ORFs by orders of magnitude. Even though functional proteins smaller than 100 amino acids are known, the coding potential of sORFs has often been overlooked, as it is not trivial to predict and test for functionality within the large number of sORFs. Recent advances in ribosome profiling and mass spectrometry approaches, together with refined bioinformatic predictions, have enabled a huge leap forward in this field and identified thousands of likely coding sORFs. A relatively low number of small proteins or microproteins produced from these sORFs have been characterized so far on the molecular, structural, and/or mechanistic level. These however display versatile and, in some cases, essential cellular functions, allowing for the exciting possibility that many more, previously unknown small proteins might be encoded in the genome, waiting to be discovered. This review will give an overview of the steadily growing microprotein field, focusing on eukaryotic small proteins. We will discuss emerging themes in the molecular action of microproteins, as well as advances and challenges in microprotein identification and characterization.
中文翻译:
重新审视 sORF:克服识别和表征功能性微生物蛋白的挑战
短 ORF (sORF),即在 100 个或更少密码子内出现的起始和终止密码子,可以在所有生命领域的生物体中找到,其数量超过注释的蛋白质编码 ORF 数量级。即使已知小于 100 个氨基酸的功能性蛋白质,sORF 的编码潜力也经常被忽视,因为在大量 sORF 中预测和测试功能并非易事。核糖体分析和质谱方法的最新进展,以及精细的生物信息学预测,使该领域实现了巨大的飞跃,并确定了数千个可能的编码 sORF。迄今为止,从这些 sORF 中产生的少量小蛋白或微生物蛋白已在分子、结构和/或机制水平上进行了表征。然而,这些显示出多才多艺,并且,在某些情况下,重要的细胞功能,令人兴奋的可能性是,更多以前未知的小蛋白质可能被编码在基因组中,等待被发现。这篇综述将概述稳步增长的微生物蛋白领域,重点关注真核小蛋白。我们将讨论微生物蛋白分子作用的新兴主题,以及微生物蛋白鉴定和表征的进展和挑战。
更新日期:2021-02-17
中文翻译:

重新审视 sORF:克服识别和表征功能性微生物蛋白的挑战
短 ORF (sORF),即在 100 个或更少密码子内出现的起始和终止密码子,可以在所有生命领域的生物体中找到,其数量超过注释的蛋白质编码 ORF 数量级。即使已知小于 100 个氨基酸的功能性蛋白质,sORF 的编码潜力也经常被忽视,因为在大量 sORF 中预测和测试功能并非易事。核糖体分析和质谱方法的最新进展,以及精细的生物信息学预测,使该领域实现了巨大的飞跃,并确定了数千个可能的编码 sORF。迄今为止,从这些 sORF 中产生的少量小蛋白或微生物蛋白已在分子、结构和/或机制水平上进行了表征。然而,这些显示出多才多艺,并且,在某些情况下,重要的细胞功能,令人兴奋的可能性是,更多以前未知的小蛋白质可能被编码在基因组中,等待被发现。这篇综述将概述稳步增长的微生物蛋白领域,重点关注真核小蛋白。我们将讨论微生物蛋白分子作用的新兴主题,以及微生物蛋白鉴定和表征的进展和挑战。