MOTS-c acts without a known receptor; humanin has three. What that difference means for mechanism

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Humanin was shown in the 2000s to bind formyl peptide receptor-like 1 and a complex of the ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor, WSX-1 and gp130, giving it a conventional extracellular mode of action. For MOTS-c no receptor has been found. The 2015 mechanism is intracellular — folate cycle, AICAR, AMPK — and the 2018 mechanism is nuclear; both require the peptide to be inside the cell, and how an administered peptide gets there is not established. An endogenous peptide made in the cytoplasm needs no entry route; an exogenous one does. This gap is the main unresolved question in MOTS-c pharmacology.

What a receptor provides

A defined target, a binding assay, a structure-activity relationship, a way to design antagonists, and a clear account of specificity. Humanin research has all of these. MOTS-c research has metabolic and transcriptional effects without a binding event to anchor them, which makes the mechanism a chain of correlations rather than a pathway from ligand to response.

Short cationic peptides can cross membranes to some degree, which is one proposed route.

Consequences

Dose-response relationships for exogenous MOTS-c cannot be interpreted against receptor occupancy. Species differences cannot be predicted from receptor conservation. Off-target effects cannot be distinguished from on-target ones. Analogue design, as in CB4211, proceeds by empirical modification rather than by fitting a binding site. None of this means the effects are not real; it means they are not yet explained.

Identifying a target, if one exists, would be the single most important advance in the field.

Why it is here

Because a reader should know that the mechanism pages describe effects and a proposed route, not a receptor pharmacology, and that this is the state of the science.

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

What a receptor provides?

A defined target, a binding assay, a structure-activity relationship, a way to design antagonists, and a clear account of specificity. Humanin research has all of these. MOTS-c research has metabolic and transcriptional effects without a binding event to anchor them, which makes the mechanism a chain of correlations rather than a pathway from ligand to response.

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

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