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A putative long noncoding RNA-encoded micropeptide maintains cellular homeostasis in pancreatic β cells.

ABSTRACT: Micropeptides (microproteins) encoded by transcripts previously annotated as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important mediators of fundamental biological processes in health and disease. Here, we applied two computational tools to identify putative micropeptides encoded by lncRNAs that are expressed in the human pancreas. We experimentally verified one such micropeptide encoded by a β cell- and neural cell-enriched lncRNA TCL1 Upstream Neural Differentiation-Associated RNA (TUNAR, also known as TUNA, HI-LNC78, or LINC00617). We named this highly conserved 48-amino-acid micropeptide beta cell- and neural cell-regulin (BNLN). BNLN contains a single-pass transmembrane domain and localizes at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in pancreatic β cells. Overexpression of BNLN lowered ER calcium levels, maintained ER homeostasis, and elevated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells. We further assessed the BNLN expression in islets from mice fed a high-fat diet and a regular diet and found that BNLN is suppressed by diet-induced obesity (DIO). Conversely, overexpression of BNLN enhanced insulin secretion in islets from lean and obese mice as well as from humans. Taken together, our study provides the first evidence that lncRNA-encoded micropeptides play a critical role in pancreatic β cell functions and provides a foundation for future comprehensive analyses of micropeptide function and pathophysiological impact on diabetes.

SUBMITTER: Li M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8416971 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are generally defined as RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that are not translated into proteins. Recently, many small open reading frames (smORFs) embedded in lncRNA scripts have been verified to be able to encode functional polypeptides (namely lncRNA-SEPs here). Although collaborative analysis by advanced genomics, bioinformatics and proteomics largely drives SEPs discovery, the poor predictability, diminutive size and low abundance still challenge systematic identification of SEPs from different biological samples. Here, we took advantage of the NONCODE database that deposited with the most complete collection and annotation of lncRNA transcripts from different species to build a database that to maximally collect all putative small ORFs from human and mouse lncRNA transcripts. Two effective and complementary polypeptides enrichment strategies (30 kDa MWCO filter and C8 SPE column) were also integrated to further improve the discovery of novel lncRNA-SEPs. These efforts led to the discovery of 362 lncRNA-SEPs from 8 human cell lines and 238 lncRNA-SEPs from 3 mouse cell lines and 8 mouse tissues. 18 out of these lncRNA-SEPs were verified experimentally by multiple technologies including in vitro expression, immunoblotting and parallel reaction monitoring-based mass spectrometry (PRM-MS) in 293T cells. Further bioinformatic analysis reveals that the physical and chemical properties of these novel lncRNA-SEPs, such as amino acid composition and codon usage, are varied from canonical proteins. Intriguingly, nearly 70% of the identified lncRNA-SEPs were found to be initiated with non-AUG start codons. Collectively, the efficient workflows presented in this study enables us identify 600 novel lncRNA-SPEs from multiple cell lines and tissues, which should represent the largest number of MS-detected lncRNA-encoding SEPs ever reported to date. These novel lncRNA-SEPs not only could provide new clues for the annotation of the noncoding elements in the genome, but also could serve as a valuable resource for the functional characterization of individual lncRNA-SEPs.

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A putative long noncoding RNA-encoded micropeptide maintains cellular homeostasis in pancreatic β cells.

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