Study record
The specific mitochondrial unfolded protein response in fast- and slow-twitch muscles of high-fat diet-induced insulin-resistant rats
Li C, Li N, Zhang Z et al. · Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · 2023
What this study reported
Measured the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, mitochondrial respiration and MOTS-c expression in slow-twitch soleus and fast-twitch tibialis anterior muscle of male Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet, with MOTS-c treated as one marker among several. Reported higher expression of ATF5, HSP60, ClpP and MOTS-c in slow-twitch than in fast-twitch muscle under high-fat-diet conditions, alongside maintained mitochondrial respiration and preserved glucose-transport protein expression in slow-twitch muscle.
Limitations
Male rats only and a single strain; group sizes not reported in the abstract; MOTS-c is a descriptive expression readout with no genetic or pharmacological manipulation, so its contribution cannot be separated from other UPRmt markers, as the authors note.
Study record
| Study model | Animal study (in vivo) |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | Endogenous MOTS-c measuredNaturally occurring MOTS-c was measured; nothing was given. |
| Species | rat |
| System studied | Male Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet or control diet; soleus and tibialis anterior muscle analysed |
| Population | Not reported |
| Design | Controlled animal experiment with high-fat-diet feeding |
| Sample size as reported | Not reported |
| Control group | control-diet-fed male Wistar rats |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | glucose transport and GLUT4; mitochondrial respiration; mitochondrial unfolded protein response markers (ATF5, HSP60, ClpP); MOTS-c expression; histone methylation at the ATF5 promoter |
| Pathways measured | Insulin & glucose handling · Other |
| Research areas | Skeletal muscle · Metabolic · Mitochondrial biology |
| 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
- Peripheral
- 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.