The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c: a player in exceptional longevity?
Fuku. Noriyuki N; Pareja-Galeano. Helios H; Zempo. Hirofumi H; Alis. Rafael R; Arai. Yasumichi Y; Lucia. Alejandro A; Hirose. Nobuyoshi N
Key Findings
- Mitochondrial‑derived peptides (MDPs) such as humanin and MOTS‑c are encoded by short genes in mitochondrial DNA.
- A specific mtDNA variant, m.1382A>C, in the MOTS‑c gene is common in Northeast Asian populations.
- The authors suggest this variant could be one of the reasons behind the high longevity observed in Japanese people.
Practical Outcomes
- At this stage there’s no actionable protocol – you can’t take a supplement or change anything based on this finding. It mainly signals that future research might explore MOTS‑c or related genetics for longevity, and that genetic testing could eventually identify who carries the variant.
Summary
The paper talks about tiny proteins made by mitochondria, like humanin and MOTS‑c, and points out a specific genetic variant (m.1382A>C) in the MOTS‑c gene that’s common in Northeast Asian people and might help explain why Japanese folks tend to live longer. It’s mostly a hypothesis and doesn’t give any direct tips on how to use these peptides for health.
Abstract
Mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDP) are encoded by functional short open reading frames in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). These include humanin, and the recently discovered mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c). Although more research is needed, we suggest that the m.1382A>C polymorphism located in the MOTS-c encoding mtDNA, which is specific for the Northeast Asian population, may be among the putative biological mechanisms explaining the high longevity of Japanese people.
Study Information
pubmed
2015
2015-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
10.1111/acel.12389
93
24