Mitochondrial-derived peptides
Category: Pathways · Last updated
Mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDPs) are a small but growing class of short bioactive peptides encoded by short open reading frames (sORFs) within the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). Their discovery overturned the assumption that mtDNA encodes only the 13 oxidative-phosphorylation subunits, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 22 transfer RNAs.
Known members
- Humanin · 24-residue peptide encoded in the 16S rRNA region; first identified in 2001
- MOTS-c · 16-residue peptide encoded in the 12S rRNA region; identified in 2015 (Lee et al., Cell Metab 2015; PMID 25738459)
- SHLPs (Small Humanin-Like Peptides) 1–6 · identified from in-silico analysis of additional sORFs in the 16S rRNA region
Functional significance
MDPs are emerging as mitochondrial-to-nuclear signaling molecules with roles in:
- Metabolic homeostasis (MOTS-c activates the AMPK pathway)
- Cell survival and stress response (Humanin protects against ER-stress-induced apoptosis)
- Insulin sensitivity (MOTS-c)
Relevance to research peptides
- MOTS-c · the catalog's representative MDP