Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Sensitive Measurement of Mitophagy by Flow Cytometry Using the pH-dependent Fluorescent Reporter mt-Keima
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Sensitive Measurement of Mitophagy by Flow Cytometry Using the pH-dependent Fluorescent Reporter mt-Keima

Published on: August 12, 2018

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Rewriting cancer's code: A micropeptide's mitochondrial mission

George A Calin1, Tanvi H Visal2

  • 1Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Center for RNA Interference and Non-coding RNAs, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Molecular Cell
|June 20, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Researchers discovered a micropeptide from long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that impairs mitochondrial RNA processing. This finding highlights a novel metabolic vulnerability in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global health concern.
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction is increasingly recognized in cancer development.
  • Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key regulators in various diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of lncRNA-derived peptides in hepatocellular carcinoma.
  • To identify novel mechanisms of metabolic dysregulation in HCC.
  • To explore potential therapeutic targets for HCC treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of lncRNA expression and translation in HCC cells.
  • Biochemical assays to study RNA processing.
  • Cellular and animal models of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Main Results:

  • Identification of a novel micropeptide encoded by a lncRNA.
  • Demonstration that this micropeptide disrupts mitochondrial RNA processing.
  • Evidence linking impaired mitochondrial RNA processing to metabolic vulnerability in HCC.

Conclusions:

  • A lncRNA-derived micropeptide plays a critical role in regulating mitochondrial function.
  • This micropeptide represents a new layer of metabolic vulnerability in HCC.
  • Targeting this pathway could offer a novel therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

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