International Team Identifies 1,785 Human Peptideins From 3.7 Billion Genome Data Points
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · May 18
International Team Identifies 1,785 Human Peptideins From 3.7 Billion Genome Data Points
2 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · May 18
1,785 previously unknown peptideins were detected in the human genome, giving researchers evidence that so-called dark DNA can produce a distinct class of protein-like molecules.
3.7 billion data points from 95,520 experiments—analyzed over about 20,000 computing hours—narrowed 7,264 candidate non-canonical reading frames to the newly confirmed molecules.
Nature published the study after the team refined findings first announced in 2024 and adopted the term peptidein for these unusually small or atypical microproteins.
One peptidein from the previously noncoding gene OLMALINC was linked to cancer-cell survival; disabling it in lab tests hindered tumor growth, suggesting possible therapeutic relevance.
The findings challenge the old view of much of the genome as junk DNA and point to a broader human proteome with potential implications for cancer, cardiovascular disease and other disorders.
A newly found 'dark protein' fuels cancer. How many more disease-causing molecules are hiding in our genome?
'Junk DNA' isn't junk after all. What other fundamental biology 'rules' are we about to break?
The Hidden Human Proteome: Discovery of 1,785 New Peptideins Redefines "Junk" DNA and Disease Research
Overview
A groundbreaking discovery has expanded the human proteome by nearly 10%, with scientists identifying 1,785 previously unknown peptideins. These microproteins, each typically fewer than 50 amino acids, were found in regions of the genome once thought to be 'junk' DNA. This challenges long-held beliefs about the completeness of our protein catalog and reveals that DNA previously dismissed as inactive actually plays a much more active role. The finding distinguishes peptideins from traditional proteins and highlights the complexity of our genome, opening new directions for biological research and understanding human health.