MOTS-c: The Mitochondrial-Derived Metabolic Peptide

Most peptides are built from nuclear genes. MOTS-c is not: it is translated from a short open reading frame inside mitochondrial DNA, and it is studied as a metabolic regulator that responds to exercise and declines with age.

The molecule

MOTS-c is the 16-amino-acid sequence MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR (C₁₀₁H₁₅₂N₂₈O₂₂S₂, ≈ 2175 g/mol), encoded by the 12S rRNA region of the mitochondrial genome. Its discovery (Lee et al., Cell Metabolism, 2015) positioned it as part of a family of mitochondrial-derived peptides that signal metabolic state to the rest of the cell.

Why it’s studied

MOTS-c research clusters around metabolic control:

• AMPK-pathway activation — the peptide is reported to engage AMPK, shifting cellular energy sensing toward fatty-acid oxidation and glucose flux
• Metabolic flexibility — the ability to switch between glucose and lipid substrates, with skeletal muscle as the primary studied target
• Insulin sensitivity — referenced in metabolic-dysfunction and type-2 diabetes models
• Exercise-mimetic effects — it is upregulated by exercise, so research asks whether exogenous peptide reproduces some of exercise’s metabolic signaling

Endogenous MOTS-c declines with age and in metabolic dysfunction, which is the premise behind supplementation research: restoring a youthful signal rather than adding a novel one.

Handling notes

Lyophilized, reconstitute with bacteriostatic water; the reconstitution calculator handles the math. Store at −20°C lyophilized.

See MOTS-c for CAS, purity and full specifications.

For laboratory research use only. Not medical advice.