Comparison

MGF vs MOTS-c

Function

While MGF is upregulated in muscle after mechanical overload, where it supports tissue repair and growth; recombinant forms are studied for regenerative and performance-enhancement effects22138, 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 MGF works as a 24-amino-acid E-peptide splice variant of IGF-1 (IGF-1Ec) produced in mechanically stressed or damaged muscle that activates IGF1R and local anabolic pathways involved in muscle repair and hypertrophy22138144, 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

MGF is 24 amino acids long, whereas MOTS-c is shorter as it has a length of 16 amino acids. MGF is made up of a sequence of Tyrosine, Glutamine, Proline, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Asparagine, Lysine, Asparagine, Threonine, Lysine, Serine, Glutamine, Arginine, Arginine, Lysine, Glycine, Serine, Threonine, Phenylalanine, Glutamic acid, Glutamic acid, Arginine, Lysine. 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

MGF

Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) 134139

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

MGF

Endogenous human IGF-1 splice variant (IGF-1Ec) 2213897

MOTS-c

Human mitochondrial peptide encoded in the 12S rRNA gene region54146

Gene

MGF

IGF1

MOTS-c

MT-RNR1

Related articles

No related articles are linked to these peptides yet.

Sources

22Mechano growth factor - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechano_growth_factor
97IGF1 Gene - Insulin Like Growth Factor 1, https://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=IGF1
134Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin-like_growth_factor_1_receptor
138A Splice Variant of IGF-1 within the Growth Plate | PLOS One, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0076133
139IGF1 receptor signaling pathways, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29535161/
144Insulin-like growth factor 1 - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin-like_growth_factor_1
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/