NEWS What roles do some of the smallest proteins play in living organisms? Once overlooked as biological “noise”, microproteins are attracting growing attention as researchers uncover their involvement in processes ranging from development and evolution to health and disease. From 14 to 16 September, leading researchers in the field will gather at Umeå University for a Nobel Symposium dedicated to this rapidly developing area of research.
Microproteins long escaped researchers’ attention, but new methods are now making it possible to discover and study these tiny proteins.
Image Mattias PetterssonMicroproteins are tiny proteins that have long escaped researchers' attention. Some are produced from parts of our genetic material that were previously thought not to encode proteins, while others can arise in unexpected ways from the same genetic instructions that produce larger proteins.
New methods for analysing genetic information and proteins are now allowing researchers to discover microproteins across different forms of life. Research suggests that these small proteins can influence how cells function, how organisms develop and how they respond to their environment.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that the questions we ask are remarkably similar across plants, animals and microbes.
The Nobel Symposium Decoding Microproteins – From Basic Biology to Biotechnological Innovations will bring together researchers from around the world to discuss how microproteins can be identified and studied, how they have evolved and what roles they play in different organisms.
The three-day programme spans research on bacteria, fungi, plants and humans, with topics ranging from fundamental mechanisms and evolution to host–microbe interactions, stress responses and cancer. It will also explore new approaches for discovering proteins hidden in what researchers sometimes refer to as the “dark proteome”.
“Microproteins have been at the heart of my research for the past two decades, and what is becoming increasingly clear is that the questions we ask are remarkably similar across plants, animals and microbes. By bringing these perspectives together, we can learn how microproteins work and where different organisms offer unique opportunities to understand them,” says Stephan Wenkel, professor at the Department of Plant Physiology and group leader at Umeå Plant Science Centre.
It's a real privilege to bring together such a global and interdisciplinary group to explore one of biology's newest frontiers, right here in Umeå.
The symposium is organised by Stephan Wenkel together with Iker Valle Aramburu, MIMS Group leader at the Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå University. Both will present their research during the meeting: Stephan Wenkel on microproteins in plants and Iker Valle Aramburu on the dark proteome in fungi and host–pathogen interactions.
“It's a real privilege to bring together such a global and interdisciplinary group to explore one of biology's newest frontiers, right here in Umeå,” says Iker Valle Aramburu.
The symposium takes place on campus at Umeå University from 14 to 16 September. It is the second Nobel Symposium hosted by the university this year, following one in physics on metamaterials in June.
Participation in the symposium is by invitation only. Journalists interested in covering the symposium are welcome to contact Iker Valle Aramburu and Stephan Wenkel for more information and interview opportunities.
Nobel Symposia are initiated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Foundation and bring together leading researchers from around the world to discuss research at the forefront of their fields and new directions for the future. Nobel Symposia have been organised since 1965.
