ABSTRACT
Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) used to be considered as a class of gene transcripts without protein-coding capacity. Whereas emerging evidence has demonstrated that a small fraction of ncRNAs are still capable of producing functional peptides. Such ncRNAs and corresponding peptides are highly conserved and homologous, and can be detected by sequencing or mass spectrometry analysis. In this paper, we searched several databases with the keywords of "non-coding RNA" and "peptide", and briefly reviewed the characteristics of ncRNA that can be translated into functional small peptides, detection methods of peptides, biological functions of peptides and clinical application value of peptides. The results show that these functional peptides are often involved in disease processes, such as regulation of tumor progression, muscle activity and immune disorders. NcRNA-encoded peptides can be used as novel and efficacious disease diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic tools, and further develop as anticancer therapeutic targets to provide new ideas for individual precise treatment of tumors.