Study record
MOTS-c interacts synergistically with exercise intervention to regulate PGC-1α expression, attenuate insulin resistance and enhance glucose metabolism in mice via AMPK signaling pathway
Yang B, Yu Q, Chang B et al. · Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis · 2021
What this study reported
Reported lower skeletal muscle and plasma MOTS-c in high-fat-diet obese mice, and higher MOTS-c, PGC-1α and GLUT4 levels together with increased AMPK and ACC phosphorylation after treadmill training. In C2C12 myotubes, AMPK inhibition or PGC-1α knockdown lowered MOTS-c expression, while PGC-1α overexpression or added recombinant MOTS-c raised it.
Limitations
Male mice of a single strain, no blinding described, and mechanistic conclusions rest on one myotube line with pharmacological inhibitors; the design cannot separate MOTS-c effects from general training adaptations.
Study record
| Study model | Animal study (in vivo) |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | SeveralMore than one of these is central to the paper (common for reviews). |
| Species | mouse |
| System studied | High-fat-diet obese C57BL/6 mice with treadmill training, and C2C12 myotubes with AMPK inhibition or PGC-1α manipulation |
| Population | Not reported |
| Design | Controlled animal experiment with cell culture experiments |
| Sample size as reported | Not reported |
| Control group | sedentary high-fat-diet mice and untreated myotubes |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | muscle and plasma MOTS-c; PGC-1α expression; GLUT4 expression; AMPK and ACC phosphorylation; glucose metabolism |
| Pathways measured | AMPK signalling · SIRT1 / PGC-1α / biogenesis · Insulin & glucose handling · Folate cycle / purines / AICAR |
| Research areas | Metabolic · Exercise · Skeletal muscle |
| Evidence tier | C — Animal in vivo |
| Publication types | Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Appraisal
Each dimension is recorded separately and never combined into a single score. A study can be well controlled and still tell you little about people.
- Relevance to MOTS-c
- Direct
- Model applicability
- Mammalian
- Sample size
- Not reported
- Controls
- Appropriate
- Outcome validity
- Surrogate
- Support for its own conclusion
- Moderate
Provenance
- Bibliographic fields retrieved from PubMed E-utilities efetch (title, journal, date, authors, DOI) on 2026-11-11.
- Annotated from the published abstract.
- Editorial review: approved (2026-11-11).
- Classification follows the site methodology; the record describes the study, not what MOTS-c does in people.