MOTS-c Overview

MOTS-c is a polypeptide encoded by the mitochondrial genome and consists of 16 amino acids. It plays an important role in metabolic regulation, cellular stress response, and antivirus. In metabolic regulation, MOTS-c regulates a series of key metabolic pathways such as fatty acid oxidation and gluconeogenesis through the activation of AMPK (adenylate-activated protein kinase), which is essential for maintaining blood glucose homeostasis and preventing obesity and insulin resistance. In addition, MOTS-c can also regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, improve vascular endothelium, alleviate osteoporosis and slow down the aging of the body by acting on AMPK. In terms of cellular stress response, the expression level of MOTS-c is altered when cells are exposed to stress, such as oxidative stress or nutritional deficiency. It activates intracellular stress signaling pathways and enhances cellular stress resistance. Under oxidative stress conditions, MOTS-c induces the expression of antioxidant enzymes, which helps cells to scavenge excessive free radicals and mitigate oxidative damage, thereby protecting cell integrity and function. In addition, MOTS-c has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators and reduce oxidative stress, providing a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It can also play a regulatory role in the cell nucleus by interacting with transcription factors and regulatory elements of nuclear DNA and directly regulating nuclear DNA expression. MOTS-c, as a mitochondria-derived peptide, possesses a variety of biological functions, which are of great significance in maintaining the metabolic homeostasis and health of the organism.