Figure 2. Mitochondria-derived peptides in age-related disease.

Three MDPs have been studied in the context of age-related diseases: humanin, MOTS-c, and SHLP2. Humanin has been shown to mitigate Alzheimer’s disease pathology in rodents, and its levels and genetic variation associate with age and cognition. MOTS-c has been described as an exercise mimetic and prevents muscle atrophy in mice, and its levels and genetic variation associate with age and type 2 diabetes (T2D). SHLP2 functions as a mitochondrial modulator and protein chaperone, and its levels associate with age and prostate cancer.