Chemical identity
Every value states its source: database, literature, or calculation. Calculated values are not presented as PubChem data.
| Compound class | Mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP) |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | MOTS-c · mitochondrial ORF of the 12S rRNA type-c |
| Molecular formula | C101H152N28O22S2PubChem |
| Average molecular mass | 2174.6 г/мольPubChem |
| PubChem CID | 146675088PubChem |
| Chain length | 16 а.о.literature |
| Encoded by | mtDNA, ген 12S рРНК (MT-RNR1)literature |
| Sequence | MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLRFormula and average mass were independently recomputed from the sequence shown and matched the PubChem record. |
A molecule from the power station
MOTS-c is a rare beast: encoded not in the nucleus but in the mitochondrial genome, inside the 12S rRNA gene. Discovered in 2015 by Lee's group; the same Cell Metabolism paper showed the peptide participating in metabolic homeostasis in rodents — through activation of AMPK, the cell's "energy sensor".
That alone would justify scientific interest: a signalling peptide from mitochondria is a loud phenomenon by itself. But the "exercise peptide" nickname came later.
The paper behind the nickname
In 2021, Reynolds and colleagues published in Nature Communications: in humans, MOTS-c concentrations in plasma and muscle rose in response to exercise, while in mice — including aged ones — administering the peptide improved measures of physical function. The authors called MOTS-c an "exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator".
Read that carefully: in humans they measured levels of the body's own peptide; administration effects were shown in mice. Those are two different claims, and welding them into one is the retellers' favourite trick.
Where the border runs
Controlled efficacy trials of MOTS-c in humans don't exist. "Exercise peptide" is a good metaphor for the biology, not a description of proven action. Separately: peptide compounds of this kind are closed off by anti-doping lists as a class — for competing athletes this territory is prohibited regardless of where the science stands.
MOTS-c in the catalogue is a research material for laboratories studying metabolism and mitochondrial signalling. For them, this is genuinely interesting ground.
References
- The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c Promotes Metabolic Homeostasis and Reduces Obesity and Insulin Resistance — Cell Metabolism, 21(3), 443–454 (PMID 25738459; DOI 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.02.009), 2015.
- MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis — Nature Communications, 12, 470 (PMID 33473109; DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-20790-0), 2021.