MOTS-c – (3ml Pen)

MOTS-c belongs to a small class of peptides encoded not in nuclear DNA but in the mitochondrial genome — a discovery that opened an entirely new signalling category. Research positions it as a mitokine: a signal originating in the mitochondria that acts on the rest of the cell and, in some models, systemically. The literature is comparatively young but has developed quickly across metabolic, exercise and ageing research.

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Research describes translocation to the nucleus under metabolic stress, where it is reported to influence adaptive gene expression, and activation of the AMPK pathway with downstream effects on glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation. Studies also document interaction with the folate–methionine cycle and de novo purine biosynthesis. Its classification as a mitokine — a mitochondrially encoded signal acting beyond the organelle — is the framework most of the current mechanistic work operates within.

A relatively young literature, concentrated in animal models and cell systems, with a growing body of human observational work linking endogenous levels to metabolic and ageing markers.

Metabolic research

Studies on insulin sensitivity and glucose handling in rodent models.

Exercise physiology

Research on endogenous expression changes in response to physical stress.

Ageing research

Observational work correlating circulating levels with age and metabolic status.

Mechanistic studies

Characterisation of AMPK activation and nuclear translocation under stress.

Mitokine biology

Foundational research establishing the mitochondrial-derived peptide category.