Home / Research Library / Compound Profiles
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded not in the cell nucleus but in mitochondrial DNA, inside the gene for 12S ribosomal RNA. Its sequence is MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR,1 and it was first reported in 2015. The name stands for mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c.
This profile describes the compound as a laboratory chemical: identity, structure, analytical checks, handling and regulation. Titan Peptides supplies it for laboratory and research use only; it is not for human consumption.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c |
| Class | Mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP) |
| Sequence (one-letter) | MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR (16 residues; PubChem lists H-MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR-OH) |
| Molecular formula | C101H152N28O22S2 (PubChem) |
| Molar mass | 2174.6 g/mol (PubChem) |
| CAS number | 1627580-64-6 (PubChem) |
| PubChem CID | 146675088 |
| Origin | Short open reading frame within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene; first reported 2015 |
Mitochondria carry their own small circular genome, separate from the DNA in the nucleus. In textbook descriptions it encodes a handful of proteins of the oxidative phosphorylation system, plus the ribosomal and transfer RNAs mitochondria need to make them. The discovery of humanin, a signalling peptide encoded by a short open reading frame (sORF) in mitochondrial DNA, suggested that other hidden peptide-coding sequences might exist there. MOTS-c came from that search: a 51-base-pair sORF inside the 12S rRNA gene that yields a 16-residue peptide. Humanin and MOTS-c are now grouped together as mitochondrial-derived peptides.
A 2018 cell-culture study from the group that first described it reported that, in cultured cells under nutrient stress, MOTS-c moves from the cytoplasm into the nucleus, where it interacted with the transcription factor NRF2. The authors presented this as evidence that the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes encode factors that cross-regulate each other.2
MOTS-c carries two methionines (positions 1 and 6) and a tryptophan (position 3), residues the storage literature flags as prone to oxidation. Oxidation of a methionine adds about 16 Da per oxygen atom, so an oxidised impurity shows up in a mass spectrum just above the expected 2174.6 g/mol; see how HPLC and mass spectrometry test peptide identity and purity. The sequence also carries four basic residues (arginines at positions 2, 13 and 16, and a lysine at 14) against one acidic residue (glutamic acid at position 5), which matters when choosing a solvent; our reconstitution guide explains the counting rule.
Store the vial sealed, dark, dry and frozen; supplier guidance runs from −20 °C for short periods to −80 °C for long-term storage. Warm it to room temperature inside a desiccator before opening so no condensation forms on the powder, then reseal promptly; for methionine- or tryptophan-containing sequences, flushing the headspace with nitrogen or argon is recommended. Solutions keep poorly: split a stock into single-use aliquots, freeze them and do not refreeze a thawed tube. More on storing lyophilised and reconstituted peptides.
Australia's June 2026 Poisons Standard does not name MOTS-c.3 No product containing it is an approved therapeutic good. How a product is supplied and presented also shapes its legal position, because the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 covers goods presented as, or likely to be taken as, being for therapeutic use; our guide are research peptides legal in Australia? sets out the framework.
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide, MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR, encoded by a short open reading frame in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene rather than in nuclear DNA. It was first reported in 2015 and is grouped with humanin as a mitochondrial-derived peptide.
A signalling peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA rather than in the nucleus. Mitochondria have their own small genome; humanin and MOTS-c are both encoded by short open reading frames within it, which is why they are grouped together as mitochondrial-derived peptides.
PubChem lists MOTS-c under CAS number 1627580-64-6 and CID 146675088, with the sequence MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR, the molecular formula C101H152N28O22S2 and a molar mass of 2174.6 g/mol. These identifiers let you match a vial, its documentation and the literature to the same molecule.
Its sequence contains two methionines and a tryptophan, the residues most susceptible to oxidation. Oxidation of a methionine adds about 16 Da, which mass spectrometry detects. Storing the vial sealed, dark, dry and frozen, and flushing the headspace with nitrogen or argon, limits the problem.
A laboratory guide to storing lyophilised and reconstituted peptides: freezer temperatures, moisture, oxidation-prone residues, light, freeze–thaw cycles and adsorption to containers.
How reverse-phase HPLC and mass spectrometry are used to test peptide purity and identity, how to read a chromatogram and a mass spectrum, and what each method cannot tell you.
A plain-English primer on research peptides: what a peptide is, how peptides are built one amino acid at a time on a resin bead, why they arrive as a freeze-dried powder, and what "research use only" does and does not mean.
