Comparison

CJC-1295 vs MOTS-c

Function

While CJC-1295 is used in research to chronically elevate endogenous growth hormone and IGF-1 levels, enabling studies of body composition, metabolic, and anti-aging effects of prolonged GH exposure10, MOTS-c improves insulin sensitivity, enhances glycolysis, reduces oxidative stress, and shows protective effects in models of metabolic syndrome, aging, and ischemia-reperfusion injury8135146.

Mechanism

While CJC-1295 works as a tetrasubstituted 29-amino-acid analog of GHRH(1–29) that acts as a potent agonist at the GHRH receptor and, in its DAC form, covalently binds serum albumin to extend half-life from minutes to days, resulting in sustained pulsatile GH and IGF-1 increase1082, MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide that translocates to the nucleus under metabolic stress and regulates glucose and lipid metabolism largely via activation of AMPK and modulation of mTOR and folate-cycle–linked pathways854140146.

Length and Sequence

CJC-1295 is 29 amino acids long, whereas MOTS-c is shorter as it has a length of 16 amino acids. CJC-1295 is made up of a sequence of Tyrosine, Alanine, Aspartic acid, Alanine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Glutamine, Serine, Tyrosine, Arginine, Lysine, Valine, Leucine, Alanine, Glutamine, Leucine, Serine, Alanine, Arginine, Lysine, Leucine, Leucine, Glutamine, Aspartic acid, Isoleucine, Leucine, Serine, Arginine. MOTS-c is made up of a sequence of Methionine, Arginine, Tryptophan, Glutamine, Glutamic acid, Methionine, Glycine, Tyrosine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Proline, Arginine, Lysine, Leucine, Arginine.

Receptor

CJC-1295

Growth hormone–releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) on anterior pituitary somatotrophs1094103

MOTS-c

No dedicated cell-surface receptor has been definitively identified; signaling is primarily described via intracellular AMPK and related metabolic pathways8135146

Organism or Origin

CJC-1295

Synthetic peptide based on human hypothalamic GHRH10120

MOTS-c

Human mitochondrial peptide encoded in the 12S rRNA gene region54146

Gene

CJC-1295

GHRH

MOTS-c

MT-RNR1

Sources

10CJC-1295: Long-Acting GHRH Analog - Alpha Carbon Labs, https://alphacarbonlabs.com/blog/cjc-1295-long-acting-ghrh-analog
82CJC-1295 no DAC 5mg (Mod GRF 1-29), https://www.peptidesciences.com/mod-grf-1-29-5mg-cjc-1295-no-dac
94Growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptor - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth-hormone-releasing_hormone_receptor
103Growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptor - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone_releasing_hormone_receptor
120Growth hormone–releasing hormone - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone%E2%80%93releasing_hormone
8Mitochondrial-encoded peptide MOTS-c prevents pancreatic islet ..., https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-025-01521-1
54MOTS-c - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOTS-c
135MOTS-c Promotes Glycolysis via AMPK-HIF-1α-PFKFB3 ... - PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40035775/
146MOTS-c: A promising mitochondrial-derived peptide for therapeutic ..., https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9905433/