MOTS-c (mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c ) is a peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA . It is believed to be involved in skeletal muscle and glucose metabolism. It is upregulated in response to exercise, and is considered an exercise mimetic .[ 1] [ 2]
MOTS-c binds to casein kinase 2 .[ 3]
^ Lee, Changhan; Kim, Kyung Hwa; Cohen, Pinchas (1 November 2016). "MOTS-c: A novel mitochondrial-derived peptide regulating muscle and fat metabolism" . Free Radical Biology and Medicine . 100 : 182–187. doi :10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.05.015 . ISSN 0891-5849 . PMC 5116416 PMID 27216708 . ^ Dieli-Conwright, Christina M.; Sami, Nathalie; Norris, Mary K.; Wan, Junxiang; Kumagai, Hiroshi; Kim, Su-Jeong; Cohen, Pinchas (19 August 2021). "Effect of aerobic and resistance exercise on the mitochondrial peptide MOTS-c in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White breast cancer survivors" . Scientific Reports . 11 (1): 16916. Bibcode :2021NatSR..1116916D . doi :10.1038/s41598-021-96419-z . ISSN 2045-2322 . PMC 8376922 PMID 34413391 . ^ Kumagai, Hiroshi; Kim, Su-Jeong; Miller, Brendan; Natsume, Toshiharu; Lee, Shin Hyung; Sato, Ayaka; Ramirez, Ricardo; Wan, Junxiang; Mehta, Hemal H; Yen, Kelvin; Cohen, Pinchas (May 2023). "Casein kinase 2 is a direct binding partner and a functional target of the exercise-mimetic microprotein MOTS-c". Physiology . 38 (S1). doi :10.1152/physiol.2023.38.S1.5725846 . ISSN 1548-9213 . S2CID 258979715 .