Abstract: 

MicroProteins are short proteins in the range of 50-150 amino acids that are related to larger, often multi-domain proteins that they can regulate. Regulation involves the presence of a functional, compatible domain that allows the microProtein to interact with its cognate target. These targets are often transcription factors or transcription-associated proteins to which the microProteins are evolutionarily related. These trans-microProteins often evolved by gene duplication and subsequent evolutionary trimming, whereas cis-microProteins exist within genes and are sometimes dynamically expressed. I will present different aspects of microProteins regulating plant growth and development and outline strategies for their use as biotechnological tools.