'smORFs': Functional Little Genome Gems Confront Evolution by Jeffrey Tomkins, Ph.D. * Until recently, thousands of tiny, potential protein-coding regions in the genome called "small open reading frames" or "smORFs" have been difficult to identify. They are now getting well-deserved attention for the important biochemical functions they play in the cell—like making your heart beat.1 In the present study published in Science, researchers found two smORF-encoded proteins in fruit fly genomes that were 28 to 29 amino acids in length and involved in regulating calcium transport and calcium intake in muscle and heart cells.1 And based on these proteins' 3-D...