A Novel Nuclear-Localized Micropeptide, MP60, Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression via the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

ABSTRACT: Background: Micropeptides, encoded by non-coding RNAs, play a pivotal role in various cellular functions. While several micropeptides have already been linked to HCC, their roles remain incompletely understood. Our study identifies MP60, a conserved micropeptide strongly associated with HCC progression. Methods and Results: By analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, we assessed the coding potential of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with significant expression changes in HCC. Our findings reveal that ENST0000614292, a transcript of LINC01138, exhibited the highest coding potential, encoding a putative 60-amino-acid micropeptide, which we have named MP60 and confirmed the expression of MP60 in HCC tissues, with a nuclear localization. MP60 directly interacts wi

SUBMITTER: Li C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12428246 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature