New mitochondrially-derived peptides show what they can do
(Phys.org)—There is a whole lot more to the textbook mitochondrial genome then once was thought. A case in point is a multifunctional peptide named humanin that is dual-encoded deep within 16S ribosomal RNA gene in the mtDNA. Pinchas Cohen's lab was one of three labs that simultaneously co-discovered humanin when screening for proteins that may be involved in Alzheimer's, IGF-1 signaling, and apoptosis. Cohen's group just published a report in Cell Metabolism where they described another mitochondrially derived peptide, this time encoded within the 12S RNA-c gene, which has also has some useful properties. A mere 16 amino acids in length, they have demonstrated that this MOTS-c peptide as they call it (mitochondrial open reading frame of RNA-c) has dramatic effects on obesity and insulin resistance.