The translation landscape revealed the novel micropeptides involved in myogenic differentiation of goat skeletal muscle satellite cells

Skeletal muscle development is crucial for goat meat production. While most research focuses on transcriptional regulation, translational control is often overlooked. This study integrated transcriptomic data to analyze the translational landscape during myogenic differentiation of goat skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs). We found that differentiation pathways were activated at both levels, with enhancement at translation. Furthermore, we identified 25 novel lncORFs and 36 circORFs with coding potential. Among these, LncORF32653 and LncORF98488 encoded micropeptides promoting SMSCs proliferation and differentiation. We also identified circUSP25, encoding circUSP25-177aa, which inhibited proliferation but promoted differentiation. Thus, lncORF32653-53aa, lncORF98488-98aa, and circUSP25-177aa are key regulators of myogenesis, revealing the potential of RNAs annotated as non-coding to encode functional micropeptides.