MOTS-c: A Peptide Encoded in the Mitochondrial Genome
Most peptides are encoded by nuclear DNA. MOTS-c, described in 2015, is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial genome — a finding that opened a new area of research.
Mitochondria carry their own small genome, long thought to encode only a handful of proteins plus the RNAs needed to make them. MOTS-c challenged that picture.
The discovery
In 2015 Lee and colleagues reported in Cell Metabolism, in The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c Promotes Metabolic Homeostasis and Reduces Obesity and Insulin Resistance, the identification of a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded by a short open reading frame within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene.
What the study examined
The authors studied MOTS-c in cultured cells and in mice. They reported effects on cellular metabolism in vitro, including pathways related to AMPK, and metabolic effects in mouse models. These findings are from experimental systems and established MOTS-c as a subject of ongoing laboratory research.
A wider class
MOTS-c belongs to a growing group of so-called mitochondrial-derived peptides, alongside humanin. Research on this class is relatively recent, and many questions about the peptides' regulation and functions remain open.
Analytical considerations
As a 16-residue peptide, MOTS-c is well suited to standard RP-HPLC purity analysis and MS identity confirmation. Its sequence contains a methionine, so oxidation is a relevant degradation pathway to consider when assessing stability.
MOTS-c supplied by ICU RESEARCH is for laboratory research use only.
Scientific references
Primary source: Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, et al. The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c Promotes Metabolic Homeostasis and Reduces Obesity and Insulin Resistance. Cell Metab. 2015;21:443–454. — Source published 1 March 2015
For laboratory research information only. Not medical advice; no product is intended for human or veterinary use.