The Keystone Symposia meeting on “Microproteins: from discovery to applications” will bring together leaders and rising stars in the emerging field of microproteins, proteins encoded on small open reading frames (smORFs) found in regions of the genome previously thought to be non-coding. Microproteins have been shown to act as key players in physiology and disease, such as development, metabolism, cardiac function, neurological function, the immune system, and several forms of cancer. In recent years, much effort has been placed on annotating microproteins and developing tools to study their activities. The field must now place more emphasis on studying the physiological impact of microproteins across organisms and translating microprotein biology into novel therapies.

In this meeting we aim to share new strategies for triaging the vast pool of translated smORFs in order to focus on those most likely to be functional. We will also learn about strategies to reveal microprotein functions through novel computational and experimental techniques. In addition, we will hear about the latest examples of microproteins implicated in disease and how they might be leveraged for new therapeutic development. Finally, we will hear from researchers who view smORF translation through different but complementary perspectives, including a source for antigens reporting on changes in cellular state, opportunities for de novo gene birth, and inspiration for de novo design of mini-proteins. In summary, this meeting will foster dynamic discussions and new collaborations between scientists from diverse backgrounds and career stages which will propel microprotein research along new and unexpected trajectories.

Meeting Co-Organizer, and Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, Thomas Martinez, talks about why you should attend this meeting in the video below: