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The transporter that AMPK moves to the cell surface, and the cell-culture finding that linked MOTS-c to it

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
GLUT4 is the insulin-responsive glucose transporter of muscle and fat. At rest most of it sits in vesicles inside the cell; insulin, through Akt, and exercise, through AMPK, each trigger movement of those vesicles to the surface, where the transporter lets glucose in. The two routes are independent, which is why exercise lowers glucose even in insulin-resistant muscle. Lee and colleagues showed in 2015 that MOTS-c increased glucose uptake in cultured muscle cells in an AMPK-dependent way, consistent with GLUT4 translocation by the exercise route, and the clamp data in mice showed muscle as the main site of increased uptake.

The transporter

Twelve membrane-spanning segments, expressed mainly in skeletal muscle, heart and adipose tissue. Its regulated trafficking is the main way the body controls glucose disposal after a meal. Mice lacking GLUT4 in muscle are insulin resistant; mice overexpressing it are protected from diabetes. It is the end point of both the insulin and the AMPK pathways to glucose uptake.

Its discovery in the late 1980s explained how insulin acts on muscle.

The two routes

Insulin: receptor, insulin receptor substrate, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, Akt, then phosphorylation of proteins that release GLUT4 vesicles. Exercise: contraction raises AMP and calcium, AMPK is activated, and a partly overlapping set of proteins releases the vesicles. The exercise route works when the insulin route does not, which is the basis of exercise as a treatment for insulin resistance and the basis of interest in AMPK activators.

MOTS-c, via AICAR and AMPK, would enter by the second route.

What was shown

Increased glucose uptake in cultured myotubes with MOTS-c, blocked by AMPK inhibition. Increased muscle glucose uptake in clamped mice. GLUT4 translocation itself was inferred from these rather than imaged. This is cell and mouse evidence for a mechanism, stated as such.

MOTS-c is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity by mass spectrometry and purity by HPLC for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
MOTS-c Pack40 mgAED 950In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The transporter?

Twelve membrane-spanning segments, expressed mainly in skeletal muscle, heart and adipose tissue. Its regulated trafficking is the main way the body controls glucose disposal after a meal. Mice lacking GLUT4 in muscle are insulin resistant; mice overexpressing it are protected from diabetes. It is the end point of both the insulin and the AMPK pathways to glucose uptake.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

MOTS-c Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

→ MOTS-c Pack — 40 mg → The clamp: how insulin sensitivity was measured → AMPK: the kinase itself

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