Study summary · research use only
MOTS-c: A promising mitochondrial-derived peptide for therapeutic exploitation
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review discusses MOTS-c, a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded by the 12S rRNA region of the mitochondrial genome, which is transferred to the nucleus during metabolic stress to direct nuclear gene expression. The authors state MOTS-c is co-expressed with mitochondria in different tissues, is present in plasma, and its plasma level decreases with age, and that MOTS-c has been shown to improve glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle, indicating relevance to diabetes, obesity, and aging. The review discusses MOTS-c's discovery, physiological function, and application in disease contexts including aging, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and inflammation, noting no established clinical application method yet exists, and discusses molecular mechanisms and combination with synthetic biology for future development.
Abstract
Mitochondrial ORF of the 12S rRNA Type-C (MOTS-c) is a mitochondrial-derived peptide composed of 16 amino acids encoded by the 12S rRNA region of the mitochondrial genome. The MOTS-c protein is transferred to the nucleus during metabolic stress and directs the expression of nuclear genes to promote cell balance. Different tissues co-expressed the protein with mitochondria, and plasma also contained the protein, but its level decreased with age. In addition, MOTS-c has been shown to improve glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle, which indicates its benefits for diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and aging. Nevertheless, MOTS-c has been used less frequently in disease treatment, and no effective method of applying MOTS-c in the clinic has been developed. Throughout this paper, we discussed the discovery and physiological function of mitochondrial-derived polypeptide MOTS-c, and the application of MOTS-c in the treatment of various diseases, such as aging, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and inflammation. To provide additional ideas for future research and development, we tapped into the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potentials of MOTS-c to improve diseases and combined the technology with synthetic biology in order to offer a new approach to its development and application.
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