5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is not a peptide at all — it is a small molecule, a methylated quinolinium salt, that appears in research catalogs alongside peptides because of the pathway it is used to study. It is one of a series of membrane-permeable quinolinium compounds developed as inhibitors of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), and most of its research literature is enzymology: how tightly it binds, what it does to NNMT activity in cell models, and what changes downstream when the enzyme is inhibited.
Research background
NNMT is a metabolic enzyme that transfers a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to nicotinamide. That places it at the intersection of two heavily studied areas of cell metabolism: NAD+ biology, because nicotinamide is an NAD+ precursor, and cellular methylation balance, because the reaction consumes SAM. NNMT expression differs markedly between tissue types, which is a large part of why inhibitors like 5-Amino-1MQ became research tools — a selective, membrane-permeable inhibitor lets investigators probe what the enzyme is doing in a given cell model.
Structure and analytical profile
5-Amino-1MQ is a quinolinium salt with a molecular weight for the cation of approximately 159.2 g/mol — far below peptide range, which has practical analytical consequences. Identity is established by mass spectrometry against the expected cation mass, and purity chromatographically. Being a small molecule, it lacks the amino-acid sequence a peptide certificate reports; a proper certificate identifies the compound, the counterion form supplied, and the purity of the lot.
Verifying a lot
Same three checks as anything else we publish: the lot number on the certificate matches the vial, the issuing laboratory is named with its original report attached, and the report verifies with the laboratory directly. Certificates for every 5-Amino-1MQ lot we sell are published in the certificate archive.
Handling notes
Store cool, dark and dry. As a salt it is comparatively stable relative to lyophilized peptides, but the same laboratory discipline applies. For qualified laboratory settings only.
Frequently asked research questions
Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide? No — it is a small-molecule quinolinium salt. It shares catalog space with peptides because of the metabolic pathways it is used to study, not because of its chemistry.
What is it used to study? Its literature is dominated by NNMT enzymology: inhibitor-binding studies and cell-model work on NAD+/methylation metabolism downstream of the enzyme.
What should its certificate show? Identity consistent with the quinolinium cation (~159 g/mol), the salt form, chromatographic purity, lot number, issuing laboratory, and report date.
All products discussed are for laboratory research use only and are not for human or veterinary consumption. Nothing here describes or endorses any use in humans or animals.