Mitochondria are best known for producing energy, but they also carry a small genome of their own. MOTS-c is a peptide coded in that genome, and it appears to help cells respond to metabolic stress. Here is what research has found so far.
Almost all human proteins are coded by DNA in the cell nucleus. Mitochondria, the cell's power stations, have their own small circle of DNA, and for years scientists believed it held only a few dozen genes, mostly for energy production. MOTS-c changed that picture.
In 2015 researchers in California reported that a short stretch hidden inside a mitochondrial gene codes for a 16-amino-acid peptide. It travels in the blood, acts mainly on muscle and influences how the body handles sugar and fat. In mice, extra MOTS-c protected against weight gain and insulin resistance on a high-fat diet.
Those findings made MOTS-c popular in discussions of metabolism, exercise and ageing. Human evidence, however, is still limited to measurements and genetic studies. The pages below show where each claim comes from.
| Full name | Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c |
| Sequence | MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR (16 amino acids) |
| Formula | C101H152N28O22S2 |
| Molecular weight | About 2,175 |
| Coded by | The mitochondrial gene for 12S ribosomal RNA |
| Human trials | No published trials of MOTS-c itself |
| Status | Not an approved medicine; prohibited by WADA as a metabolic modulator |
MOTS-c.info does not give medical advice. Research-grade MOTS-c is not intended for humans. Anyone with a question about weight, diabetes or fitness should talk to a healthcare professional.
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