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16 amino acids · encoded in mitochondrial DNA
Under reviewA short peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA rather than nuclear DNA, which is scientifically interesting. The metabolic claims made for it rest almost entirely on preclinical work. Advisory panel voted favourably in July 2026.
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Schematic structure, not to scale. Beads represent amino acid residues along the backbone.
In theory, MOTS-c is designed to act as an exercise mimetic, activating AMPK, the cell's central energy sensor, and improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility without the training. The biology underneath is genuinely novel: until 2015 nobody knew mitochondrial DNA encoded signalling peptides at all. The preclinical metabolic data is real. The leap to human body composition is not yet made.
The detail, if you want it
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene. That it is encoded in mitochondrial rather than nuclear DNA is genuinely novel biology, and it is part of why the compound attracted research interest.
It appears to activate AMPK, a central regulator of cellular energy balance, and has been described as an exercise mimetic in preclinical models, improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic parameters in preclinical models. The mechanistic work is real. The leap from mouse metabolism to human body composition is not.
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