Open AccessLncRNA‐encoded microproteins: A new form of cargo in cell culture‐derived and circulating extracellular vesicles
Author(s) -
Cai Tanxi,
Zhang Qing,
Wu Bowen,
Wang Jifeng,
Li Na,
Zhang Tingting,
Wang Zhipeng,
Luo Jianjun,
Guo Xiaojing,
Ding Xiang,
Xie Zhensheng,
Niu Lili,
Ning Weihai,
Fan Zhen,
Chen Xiaowei,
Guo Xiangqian,
Chen Runsheng,
Zhang Hongwei,
Yang Fuquan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of extracellular vesicles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.94
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 2001-3078
DOI - 10.1002/jev2.12123
Subject(s) - glioma , extracellular vesicle , extracellular vesicles , biology , extracellular , computational biology , intracellular , open reading frame , cancer research , microvesicles , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , microrna , genetics , peptide sequence
Advancements in omics‐based technologies over the past few years have led to the discovery of numerous biologically relevant peptides encoded by small open reading frames (smORFs) embedded in long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) transcripts (referred to as microproteins here) in a variety of species. However, the mechanisms and modes of action that underlie the roles of microproteins have yet to be fully characterized. Herein, we provide the first experimental evidence of abundant microproteins in extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from glioma cancer cells, indicating that the EV‐mediated transfer of microproteins may represent a novel mechanism for intercellular communication. Intriguingly, when examining human plasma, 48, 11 and 3 microproteins were identified from purified EVs, whole plasma and EV‐free plasma, respectively, suggesting that circulating microproteins are primarily enriched in EVs. Most importantly, the preliminary data showed that the expression profile of EV microproteins in glioma patient diverged from the health donors, suggesting that the circulating microproteins in EVs might have potential diagnostic application in identifying patients with glioma.