The discovery of micropeptides is an emerging topic in the ncRNA (non-coding RNA) field. Initially considered non-coding, advances in gene editing and multi-omics have deepened micropeptide research - scientists have gradually found that some ncRNAs do possess coding potential, and some of the micropeptides they encode exhibit tumor-type specificity and can serve as tumor-specific target molecules, potentially acting as new targets or molecular markers for tumor diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in the future.
The team of Professor Hanmei Xu at China Pharmaceutical University, and Nanjing Anji Biotech Co., Ltd. founded by Prof. Xu, have long been dedicated to discovering novel functional micropeptides and deeply engaged in micropeptide research. Recently, the team of Prof. Hanmei Xu at China Pharmaceutical University and the team of Prof. David J. Craik at the University of Queensland, Australia, published a review article in Cancer Letters. The article reviews the micropeptides involved in human tumorigenesis and development, discusses their molecular mechanisms in proliferation, growth suppression, angiogenesis and metastasis across different tumor types, as well as their therapeutic and prognostic potential, providing an important reference for the application of micropeptides in tumorigenesis and progression. Notably, Prof. Hanmei Xu's team previously published micropeptide research in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) titled "Micropeptide MIAC Inhibits HNSCC Progression by Interacting with Aquaporin 2". In that study, MIAC, a novel endogenous micropeptide encoded by ncRNA, was discovered for the first time in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that MIAC inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of HNSCC, and combined with clinical data, MIAC may serve as a potential biomarker for the treatment, clinical diagnosis and prognosis of HNSCC, revealing its important role in HNSCC tumorigenesis. The tumor-associated micropeptides mentioned in the above articles, as well as those discovered by Prof. Xu's team, all originate from ncRNA. Based on these findings, the team realized that the previous naming of ncRNA was no longer accurate and required a clearer, more precise definition. Therefore, in their article, Prof. Hanmei Xu's team and Prof. David J. Craik's team proposed renaming ncRNA (non-coding RNA) with potential to encode bioactive micropeptides as pcRNA (potential coding RNA), which more accurately describes the essence of ncRNA.
This revision of the ncRNA (non-coding RNA) nomenclature will help scientists in China and abroad gain an accurate understanding of ncRNA, while more clearly clarifying the fact that micropeptides originate from ncRNA.
