{
  "id": 1751508,
  "title": "MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-encoded interferon-linked host defense peptide",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/mots-c-is-a-mitochondrial-encoded-interferon-linked-host-defense",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-18T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "eLife",
    "slug": "elife",
    "url": "https://elifesciences.org/articles/87615"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can trigger immune responses and directly entrap pathogens, but it is not known to encode active immune factors. The immune system is traditionally thought to be exclusively nuclear-encoded. Here, we report the identification of a host defense peptide (HDP) encoded in the human mitochondrial genome that presumably derives from the primordial proto-mitochondrial…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}