MOTS-c
MOTS-c is encoded within the mitochondrial genome and has been studied for its involvement in regulating cellular metabolism and stress response. Research interest centers on its potential role in the interplay between mitochondrial and nuclear signaling pathways.
Part of KYIN Peptides' standard catalogue — see the product page for pricing.
What Is MOTS-c?
MOTS-c is a genuinely unusual discovery: a functional, 16-amino-acid signaling peptide encoded not in the cell's nuclear DNA, but inside mitochondrial DNA itself — specifically, within a short open reading frame inside the 12S rRNA gene. Changhan David Lee's team at the University of Southern California identified it in 2015 and published the discovery in the journal Cell Metabolism. Mitochondrial DNA simply wasn't thought to encode signaling peptides at all before this — MOTS-c effectively opened up an entirely new research category, now generally referred to as mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDPs).
Research Focus
Research interest in MOTS-c centers on exactly the mechanism its discovery pointed to: how a peptide made inside mitochondria can influence metabolism and stress response well beyond the mitochondrion itself. It sits in KYIN's Weight Loss / Metabolic category alongside Retatrutide and 5-Amino-1MQ, and is closely related in mechanism to SS-31, another mitochondria-focused compound in KYIN's Longevity category. See our Weight Loss / Metabolic research overview, or how it compares to SS-31 and Retatrutide.
- Mitochondrial signaling research
- Metabolic regulation studies
- Exercise physiology research models
- Cellular stress-response studies
Clinical & Preclinical Trial Data
MOTS-c itself has not completed a human clinical trial. CB4211, a novel analog of MOTS-c developed by CohBar (a related but distinct molecule, not MOTS-c itself), was tested in a Phase 1a/1b trial in 20 adults with obesity and elevated liver fat, meeting its primary safety endpoint with no serious adverse events and reducing the liver enzymes ALT (-25%) and AST (-17%) relative to placebo; CohBar's development of CB4211 was later discontinued for company reasons unrelated to the trial results. Separately, a Phase 2a trial of MOTS-c itself (“MOTS-MET,” NCT07505745) is currently underway, testing whether 12 weeks of subcutaneous MOTS-c improves insulin sensitivity in 120 adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity; results have not yet been posted.
Availability
MOTS-c is part of KYIN Peptides' standard catalogue — see the product page for pricing, or contact us to order.
MOTS-c questions
What is MOTS-c?
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid signaling peptide encoded inside mitochondrial DNA rather than nuclear DNA, discovered by Changhan David Lee's team at USC in 2015. It is studied for its role in regulating cellular metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and stress response.
Has MOTS-c been tested in human trials?
MOTS-c itself has not completed a human clinical trial. CB4211, a related but distinct analog developed by CohBar, was tested in a Phase 1a/1b trial in 20 adults with obesity and elevated liver fat, meeting its safety endpoint. A Phase 2a trial of MOTS-c itself (MOTS-MET, NCT07505745) is currently underway in 120 adults with prediabetes; results have not yet been posted.
Does KYIN Peptides sell MOTS-c?
Yes — MOTS-c is part of our standard catalogue. See the product page for pricing.
Interested in MOTS-c?
See pricing and order on the product page, or browse our other weight-loss and metabolic peptides.