Mitochondrial-derived peptides
Signals from the cell's powerhouses — a recently discovered layer of peptide biology.
MOTS-c · humanin
Overview
Beyond the nuclear genome, the mitochondria's own small circular DNA encodes a handful of short peptides — the mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDPs). Discovered only recently, they act as signals from the cell's powerhouses to the rest of the body, influencing metabolism and stress resistance.
MOTS-c and humanin are the best-characterized. MOTS-c links to metabolic homeostasis and exercise biology; humanin is broadly cytoprotective. The field is young and much of the evidence is preclinical — but it represents a genuinely new layer of peptide signaling.
Key signals
Reference notes
- MDPs are encoded in mitochondrial DNA, not the nuclear genome — an unusual origin for a signaling peptide.
- MOTS-c acts partly through AMPK and is described as an exercise-mimetic in animal studies.
- An emerging area: most evidence is preclinical, and the human roles are still being mapped.