Comparison

Melanotan I vs MOTS-c

Function

While Melanotan I is approved in some regions for prevention of phototoxicity in erythropoietic protoporphyria and is studied as a skin-darkening, photoprotective peptide3444, 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 Melanotan I works as a linear 13-amino-acid analog of α-MSH (afamelanotide) that selectively activates MC1R on melanocytes, increasing eumelanin synthesis and providing photoprotection3444, 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

Melanotan I is 13 amino acids long, whereas MOTS-c is longer as it has a length of 16 amino acids. Melanotan I is made up of a sequence of Serine, Tyrosine, Serine, Nle, Glutamic acid, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Tryptophan, Glycine, Lysine, Proline, Valine. 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

Melanotan I

Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) 344481

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

Melanotan I

Synthetic analog of human α-MSH derived from POMC34448190

MOTS-c

Human mitochondrial peptide encoded in the 12S rRNA gene region54146

Gene

Melanotan I

POMC

MOTS-c

MT-RNR1

Related articles

No related articles are linked to these peptides yet.

Sources

34Melanotan I (Afamelanotide): Research Profile - PeptideJournal, https://www.peptidejournal.org/peptides/melanotan-i-research-profile
44Melanotan I: properties, applications and references, https://www.benchchem.com/zh/product/b1666627
81Proopiomelanocortin (POMC), the ACTH/melanocortin precursor, is ..., https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2253185/
90alpha-Melanocyte stimulating hormone: production and degradation, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3936413/
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/