Acetyl tetrapeptide-5

is used in cosmetic eye formulations to decrease puffiness, eye bags, and dark circles by reducing edema and protecting proteins such as SOD from glycation

Alanine

Ala / A · hydrophobic residue · neutral charge

AOD-9604

is studied as an anti-obesity peptide that can reduce weight gain and increase fat oxidation in obese animal models with generally neutral effects on IGF-1 and glucose metabolism in early human trials

Arginine

Arg / R · basic residue · positive charge

Argireline

is a topical cosmetic peptide reported to decrease dynamic wrinkles by partially mimicking the mechanism of botulinum toxin in a non-invasive manner

Asparagine

Asn / N · polar residue · neutral charge

Aspartic acid

Asp / D · acidic residue · negative charge

BPC-157

is investigated for accelerating healing of gastrointestinal mucosa, tendons, ligaments, bone, and nervous tissue in preclinical models, with anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic effects

Peptide record

MOTS-c

Peptide record

MOTS-c

Function

MOTS-c is a Mitochondrial peptide.

This Peptide improves insulin sensitivity, enhances glycolysis, reduces oxidative stress, and shows protective effects in models of metabolic syndrome, aging, and ischemia-reperfusion injury8 135 146

Mechanism

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 pathways8 54 140 146

MOTS-c is a Gene expression modulator.

Receptor

No dedicated cell-surface receptor has been definitively identified; signaling is primarily described via intracellular AMPK and related metabolic pathways8 135 146

Length

16 amino acids

Organism or Origin

Human mitochondrial peptide encoded in the 12S rRNA gene region54 146

Gene

MT-RNR1

Sequence

N-terminus

C-terminus

MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR 54

Methionine, Arginine, Tryptophan, Glutamine, Glutamic acid, Methionine, Glycine, Tyrosine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Proline, Arginine, Lysine, Leucine, Arginine

16 residuesapprox. 2156.61 Dacharge +4 / -1 / net +3hydrophobic 6 • basic 4 • polar 3 • acidic 1 • special 2

Sequence-derived properties

Length

16 residues

Molecular weight

2174.63 Da

Average hydrophobicity

-0.94

Unique amino acids

12

Residue class composition

hydrophobic

6 (37.5%)

basic

4 (25%)

polar

3 (18.8%)

special

2 (12.5%)

acidic

1 (6.3%)

Charge-category composition

neutral

11 (68.8%)

positive

4 (25%)

negative

1 (6.3%)

Amino acid composition

Arginine (Arg/R)

3 (18.8%)

Methionine (Met/M)

2 (12.5%)

Tyrosine (Tyr/Y)

2 (12.5%)

Glutamic acid (Glu/E)

1 (6.3%)

Glutamine (Gln/Q)

1 (6.3%)

Glycine (Gly/G)

1 (6.3%)

Isoleucine (Ile/I)

1 (6.3%)

Leucine (Leu/L)

1 (6.3%)

Lysine (Lys/K)

1 (6.3%)

Phenylalanine (Phe/F)

1 (6.3%)

Proline (Pro/P)

1 (6.3%)

Tryptophan (Trp/W)

1 (6.3%)

Sources

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/
140MOTS-c interacts synergistically with exercise intervention ... - PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33722744/
146MOTS-c: A promising mitochondrial-derived peptide for therapeutic ..., https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9905433/

Related articles

No related articles are linked to this peptide yet.