What Is MOTS-c? The Peptide Encoded in Mitochondrial DNA
Cellular Energy & Mitochondrial Research
Almost every peptide in a research catalogue is encoded in nuclear DNA. MOTS-c is not. It is written into the mitochondrial genome — a separate, circular strand of DNA that mitochondria carry from their origin as free-living bacteria. That address is the whole reason the molecule is interesting.
View product →Findings
- Almost every peptide is encoded in nuclear DNA; MOTS-c is written into the mitochondrial genome instead.
- That address is the point: it means mitochondria send signals outward, not just take orders.
- The research centres on metabolic signalling: glucose handling, insulin pathways and exercise adaptation.
- Human studies have measured natural MOTS-c levels rising after endurance exercise.
A peptide with a different return address
Human mitochondria carry their own genome: roughly 16,500 base pairs, entirely separate from the ~3 billion in the cell nucleus. For decades it was assumed to encode only a handful of components for the machinery that generates cellular energy.
MOTS-c — mitochondrial open reading frame of the twelve S rRNA type-c — was identified within that small genome. Its existence supports a broader idea: that mitochondria are not simply power plants taking instructions, but participants that send signals of their own into the rest of the cell.
That is the shift worth understanding. A peptide encoded in the mitochondrion implies communication running outward from the mitochondrion, not only inward to it.
What the research actually examines
Laboratory work on MOTS-c concentrates on metabolic signalling: glucose handling, insulin signalling pathways, and the metabolic adaptations that follow physical exertion in research models.
These are open questions. Mitochondrial-derived peptides are a young field, and the literature is characterising the molecule rather than concluding about it — which is precisely why it is bought as a research material.
Form, storage and what arrives
MOTS-c is supplied lyophilised: freeze-dried powder in a sealed vial, often a barely-visible quantity at the bottom. The dry state is chosen because it is far more stable than a solution, which matters across shipping and storage.
Reconstitution in a laboratory setting is typically performed with bacteriostatic water, with vials kept cold and out of light afterwards. Specific handling protocols are set by the researcher.
Certificates of analysis
MOTS-c is a short peptide of sixteen amino acids, a length well suited to modern solid-phase synthesis. Identity and purity are established analytically by an independent laboratory, and the certificate of analysis is the record of that work.
Vistara Labs publishes certificates of analysis from independent laboratories for each compound, with purity above 99 percent. Current certificates are on the lab reports page.
Buying MOTS-c in Canada
Every order ships from within Canada, so there is no customs step. Vials are dispatched lyophilised, the form in which the peptide is most stable, and can go straight into cold storage on arrival.
You can buy MOTS-c peptide in Canada from Vistara Labs in 10 mg and 40 mg research vials, shipping across Canada with free shipping on larger orders.
Studied alongside
Researchers working on cellular energy commonly reference NAD+, the coenzyme central to electron transfer, and SS-31, studied in connection with mitochondrial membranes.
All products supplied by Vistara Labs are intended for laboratory research use only. They are not drugs, are not approved for human or veterinary use, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice or guidance for use in humans.
References
Human MOTS-c studies measure the peptide the body already makes; no controlled trial administering native synthetic MOTS-c was identified. (CB4211, which has completed phase 1, is an optimised analogue, not native MOTS-c.)
- The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistanceFoundational paper identifying MOTS-c; laboratory studies of insulin sensitivity and diet-induced obesity.
- Acute endurance exercise stimulates circulating levels of mitochondrial-derived peptides in humansHuman study measuring naturally occurring (endogenous) mitochondrial-derived peptides after acute endurance exercise — not administration of synthetic MOTS-c.
Links open the study record on PubMed so the source can be checked directly. Listing a study is not a claim that its findings apply to any other use, product or route of administration. Research use only.
