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Plant Science Today (PST)

Review Articles

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2025)

Insights into Microprotein A novel tool to unravel crop improvement

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.6416
Submitted
29 November 2024
Published
03-03-2025 — Updated on 01-04-2025
Versions

Abstract

Small regulatory proteins with a size range of 5 to 20 kilodaltons (kDa) are known as microproteins (miPs). They are connected to bigger, frequently multi-domain proteins and typically include a single protein domain. Through their interactions with other proteins, these microproteins modify the post-translational gene expression level. Numerous microproteins that are essential for controlling transcription factor activity have been discovered in both plants and animals in recent years. Microproteins are necessary for several phases of plant development, such as seed germination, seedling growth, stomatal regulation, root formation, pigment synthesis, blooming and floral development. Certain microproteins viz., viral protein U (Vpu) microProtein, negatively regulates the K+ ion channel TASK1 in humans, LITTLE ZIPPER proteins found in arabidopsis which regulate transcription factor and mitochondrial microprotein BRAWNI are conserved only among vertebrates are exclusive to a given species, whilst others have evolved to be conserved since they first appeared early in evolutionary history. Food security is being challenged by the cumulative consequences of climate change and unsustainable agricultural methods, which increases the need for sustainable and innovative solutions since microproteins are essential regulators of several physiological processes in plants. They are excellent candidates for creating synthetic miPs that can be employed to support plant stress resilience leading to increased productivity. Understanding the microproteins' regulatory mechanisms is a crucial step in developing microproteins into useful biotechnological tools for crop bioengineering. There is a theory that target proteins and microproteins have similar evolutionary histories. Microproteins work at the molecular level by obstructing the assembly of higher-order protein complexes. Their potential for biotechnological applications is further enhanced by their ability to function as dominant regulators in a focused and precise manner. In addition to exploring the processes of microproteins and their functional roles in plant biology, this study intends to provide the groundwork for future investigations by helping scientists identify, characterize and map these proteins.

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