Small proteins hiding in plant genes: a new tool to find them

Scientists have found that some plants hide tiny proteins inside their genetic instructions. These proteins, called miPEPs, help control how plants grow and respond to their environment. But finding these small proteins is tricky because they’re rare and hard to spot. Most known miPEPs come from plants, even though similar proteins exist in other living things.A new computer method, called mePTL, is now helping researchers track down these hidden proteins. Instead of looking at genes directly, it analyzes different clues from the genetic data. These clues include patterns in the DNA and how genes are read. The method then combines results from several AI models to make its predictions more reliable. Tests show that mePTL works better than older tools at spotting these small proteins. It doesn’t just find them in one plant—it can work across different species. Researchers hope this tool will help uncover more about how these tiny proteins function and maybe even find similar ones in animals or humans.