Peptide nomenclature: why the catalogue reads like a code

Published 9 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Research peptide names follow no single convention. Some encode a sequence (GHK-Cu), some a parent protein and fragment (TB500), some a hypothesis the describing group held (BPC-157), some a mechanism (MOTS-c), and some a structural modification (IGF-1 LR3).

Named for the sequence

GHK-Cu is the clearest case: G, H and K are the one-letter codes for glycine, histidine and lysine, and Cu is copper. The name is the molecule.

This only works for very short peptides. Beyond a few residues the name would be unusable, which is why the convention disappears quickly.

Named for a parent protein

TB500 refers to thymosin beta-4 — a 43-residue protein — and specifically to a synthetic fragment of its active region. The name points at the parent rather than describing the fragment.

IGF-1 LR3 works similarly but adds the modification: insulin-like growth factor 1, Long R3 — an analogue with an extension and a substitution that reduce binding to IGF-binding proteins.

Named for a hypothesis, or a mechanism

BPC-157 stands for Body Protection Compound, which states what the describing group was investigating rather than an established property. A name is not a finding, and this one is quoted as though it were more often than any other in the field.

MOTS-c encodes a mechanism: mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c. It describes where the peptide comes from in the genome, which in that case is the most interesting thing about it.

Frequently asked

Named for the sequence?

GHK-Cu is the clearest case: G, H and K are the one-letter codes for glycine, histidine and lysine, and Cu is copper. The name is the molecule.

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Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.