Khavinson · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 2021 · systematic review of preclinical and mechanistic studies · n=?

Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review.

Cited 43 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Systematic review synthesizing basic science, preclinical models, and molecular mechanisms without human clinical trial data

PubMed 34834147 · doi:10.3390/molecules26227053 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

Authors conducted a systematic review synthesizing research on how short peptides modulate gene expression and protein synthesis across various biological taxa, including plants, microorganisms, insects, birds, rodents, primates, and humans.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical findings or quantitative effect sizes. It qualitatively describes that short peptides (2-7 amino acid residues) penetrate cell nuclei, bind nucleosomes, histones, and DNA, alter promoter interactions, and regulate DNA methylation during baseline, pathological, and senescent states.

Why it matters

Demonstrating peptide-mediated chromatin and transcriptional regulation provides mechanistic support for designing peptide-based candidates in neuroprotection, immunoregulation, and antimicrobial therapies.

Limits

The abstract gives no details on the number of included studies, screening protocols, or quality appraisal. Evidence consists of heterogeneous preclinical and mechanistic models without direct clinical trial data in humans.

Cited by