The mitochondrial fuel line
NAD+ + MOTS-c
NAD+ is the coenzyme that mitochondria use to turn food into cellular energy and that sirtuin enzymes depend on; its levels fall with age. MOTS-c is a peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, studied for activating AMPK, the cell’s energy sensor. One is the fuel carrier, the other a signal about how to use it.
