bims-micpro Biomed News
on Discovery and characterization of microproteins
Issue of 2023‒04‒30
one paper selected by
Thomas Farid Martínez
University of California, Irvine


  1. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Apr 20. pii: 7589. [Epub ahead of print]24(8):
      Small peptides compose a large share of the mitochondrial proteome. Mitoregulin (Mtln) is a mitochondrial peptide known to contribute to the respiratory complex I functioning and other processes in mitochondria. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that Mtln knockout mice develop obesity and accumulate triglycerides and other oxidation substrates in serum, concomitant with an exhaustion of tricarboxylic acids cycle intermediates. Here we examined the functional role of Mtln in skeletal muscles, one of the major energy consuming tissues. We observed reduced muscle strength for Mtln knockout mice. Decrease of the mitochondrial cardiolipin and concomitant increase in monolysocardiolipin concentration upon Mtln inactivation is likely to be a consequence of imbalance between oxidative damage and remodeling of cardiolipin. It is accompanied by the mitochondrial creatine kinase octamer dissociation and suboptimal respiratory chain performance in Mtln knockout mice.
    Keywords:  cardiolipin; creatine kinase; metabolism; mitochondria; oxidative phosphorylation; short open reading frame; small peptide
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087589