MOTS-c
Also known as mitochondrial-derived peptide, MOTS-c peptide
MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-derived peptide — one encoded in the mitochondrial genome rather than nuclear DNA. A research-use profile: its unusual genomic origin and handling.
MOTS-c is the odd one out in this category for a genuinely interesting reason: it comes from your mitochondria's own DNA. Almost every peptide a cell makes is encoded in the nuclear genome, but MOTS-c belongs to a small, recently described class whose coding sequence sits inside the mitochondrial genome instead. That origin is the whole story of the molecule.
It is studied in metabolic research because of where it comes from and the compartment it is associated with, and this page keeps to that: its class, its genomic origin, and how it is handled. No therapeutic, metabolic-outcome, dosing, or efficacy claims are made — it is presented only as a research compound.
A short peptide whose coding sequence is found not in the cell's nuclear DNA but within the mitochondrial genome — specifically encoded within the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA region. It is one of a small family of 'mitochondrial-derived peptides.' Its origin, rather than any modification, is what defines it. Described strictly as a research compound.
A peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA
The defining fact about MOTS-c is genomic. It is a mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP): its short open reading frame is located within the mitochondrial genome, in the region of the 12S ribosomal RNA gene, rather than in the nuclear DNA that encodes the vast majority of the proteome. That makes it part of a small and comparatively new class of peptides.
This origin is not a trivia point — it is what places MOTS-c in a different conceptual lineage from every other compound in this category. The incretin analogs are engineered drug molecules; MOTS-c is a naturally encoded peptide from an unusual part of the genome, studied as a research compound.
The mitochondrial-metabolism context
Because of its origin, MOTS-c is studied in the context of mitochondrial biology and cellular metabolism — the research areas it is associated with. Describing those contexts states where scientists have examined it, not any effect it confers on a person.
As a short, naturally encoded sequence, it is often grouped in discussion with other longevity- and metabolism-oriented research peptides, though it is structurally and genomically distinct from all of them.
Reading a MOTS-c certificate of analysis
MOTS-c is a short peptide, so its analytical profile should be simple: a mass-spectrometry trace consistent with a small peptide and an HPLC trace dominated by a single peak. A lot reporting purity without a method or a batch identifier is telling you less than it appears. Every lot we list is tied to its own certificate — verify yours by its batch number.
These are research areas the compound is associated with in the literature — not medical claims or intended uses.
Handling & storage
Supplied lyophilized. Kept sealed and cold, reconstituted with bacteriostatic water only when a research protocol requires it and then refrigerated. Handled per accepted laboratory practice. Research use only.
Verify a certificate by lot →Common questions
Its coding sequence is located in the mitochondrial genome rather than in nuclear DNA — it is a mitochondrial-derived peptide. That genomic origin is its defining feature. This is a descriptive statement, not a use claim.
Within the region of the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene. That location is what classes it among the mitochondrial-derived peptides.
No. It shares the Metabolic category but is a naturally encoded mitochondrial peptide — a completely different lineage from the engineered GLP-1, GIP, and amylin analogs.
This monograph is a research-use reference. It describes composition and the contexts in which the compound has been studied — it is not medical advice, a description of effects, or a recommendation for use. Sold strictly for laboratory and research use; not for human or animal consumption.