MOTS-c
Also: mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c
Summary
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded not in the cell nucleus but inside the mitochondrial genome, in the 12S rRNA region. It was identified in 2015. It occurs naturally in tissue and in blood, and the reviewed literature reports that circulating levels fall with age. The synthetic version sold by suppliers is a copy of that natural peptide.
What it targets
The original 2015 work reported that MOTS-c acts mainly on skeletal muscle, inhibiting the folate cycle and the purine synthesis attached to it, which activates AMPK, an enzyme central to cellular energy balance. A later study found the peptide moves into the cell nucleus under metabolic stress and influences nuclear genes, including antioxidant-response genes, interacting with stress-responsive transcription factors such as NRF2. In mice, treatment prevented insulin resistance from age and from a high-fat diet, prevented diet-induced obesity, and improved physical performance at young, middle and old ages, including when started late in life. The human observation reported alongside that mouse work is that exercise raises the body's own MOTS-c in muscle and blood; no trial in which MOTS-c was given to people was found in the literature reviewed for this page.
Clinical Research
Suppliers stocking MOTS-c
26 of the 30 listed suppliers. Each row opens its full listing.