scholarly journals The regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase by phosphorylation

2000 ◽  
Vol 345 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvie C. STEIN ◽  
Angela WOODS ◽  
Neil A. JONES ◽  
Matthew D. DAVISON ◽  
David CARLING

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) cascade is activated by an increase in the AMP/ATP ratio within the cell. AMPK is regulated allosterically by AMP and by reversible phosphorylation. Threonine-172 within the catalytic subunit (α) of AMPK (Thr172) was identified as the major site phosphorylated by the AMP-activated protein kinase kinase (AMPKK) in vitro. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to study the role of phosphorylation of Thr172 on AMPK activity. Mutation of Thr172 to an aspartic acid residue (T172D) in either α1 or α2 resulted in a kinase complex with approx. 50% the activity of the corresponding wild-type complex. The activity of wild-type AMPK decreased by greater than 90% following treatment with protein phosphatases, whereas the activity of the T172D mutant complex fell by only 10-15%. Mutation of Thr172 to an alanine residue (T172A) almost completely abolished kinase activity. These results indicate that phosphorylation of Thr172 accounts for most of the activation by AMPKK, but that other sites are involved. In support of this we have shown that AMPKK phosphorylates at least two other sites on the α subunit and one site on the β subunit. Furthermore, we provide evidence that phosphorylation of Thr172 may be involved in the sensitivity of the AMPK complex to AMP.

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (4) ◽  
pp. E739-E743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burton F. Holmes ◽  
David B. Lang ◽  
Morris J. Birnbaum ◽  
James Mu ◽  
G. Lynis Dohm

An acute bout of exercise increases muscle GLUT4 mRNA in mice, and denervation decreases GLUT4 mRNA. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity in skeletal muscle is also increased by exercise, and GLUT4 mRNA is increased in mouse skeletal muscle after treatment with AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside(AICAR). These findings suggest that AMPK activation might be responsible for the increase in GLUT4 mRNA expression in response to exercise. To investigate the role of AMPK in GLUT4 regulation in response to exercise and denervation, transgenic mice with a mutated AMPK α-subunit (dominant negative; AMPK-DN) were studied. GLUT4 did not increase in AMPK-DN mice that were treated with AICAR, demonstrating that muscle AMPK is inactive. Exercise (two 3-h bouts of treadmill running separated by 1 h of rest) increased GLUT4 mRNA in both wild-type and AMPK-DN mice. Likewise, denervation decreased GLUT4 mRNA in both wild-type and AMPK-DN mice. GLUT4 mRNA was also increased by AICAR treatment in both the innervated and denervated muscles. These data demonstrate that AMPK is not required for the response of GLUT4 mRNA to exercise and denervation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (5) ◽  
pp. H2412-H2421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Frederich ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
James A. Balschi

The hypothesis was tested that hypoxia increases AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity independently of AMP concentration ([AMP]) in heart. In isolated perfused rat hearts, cytosolic [AMP] was changed from 0.2 to 16 μM using metabolic inhibitors during both normal oxygenation (95% O2-5% CO2, normoxia) and limited oxygenation (95% N2-5% CO2, hypoxia). Total AMPK activity measured in vitro ranged from 2 to 40 pmol·min−1·mg protein−1 in normoxic hearts and from 5 to 55 pmol·min−1·mg protein−1 in hypoxic hearts. The dependence of the in vitro total AMPK activity on the in vivo cytosolic [AMP] was determined by fitting the measurements from individual hearts to a hyperbolic equation. The [AMP] resulting in half-maximal total AMPK activity ( A0.5) was 3 ± 1 μM for hypoxic hearts and 28 ± 13 μM for normoxic hearts. The A0.5 for α2-isoform AMPK activity was 2 ± 1 μM for hypoxic hearts and 13 ± 8 μM for normoxic hearts. Total AMPK activity correlated with the phosphorylation of the Thr172 residue of the AMPK α-subunit. In potassium-arrested hearts perfused with variable O2 content, α-subunit Thr172 phosphorylation increased at O2 ≤ 21% even though [AMP] was <0.3 μM. Thus hypoxia or O2 ≤ 21% increased AMPK phosphorylation and activity independently of cytosolic [AMP]. The hypoxic increase in AMPK activity may result from either direct phosphorylation of Thr172 by an upstream kinase or reduction in the A0.5 for [AMP].


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 6704-6711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Woods ◽  
Dalila Azzout-Marniche ◽  
Marc Foretz ◽  
Silvie C. Stein ◽  
Patricia Lemarchand ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In the liver, glucose induces the expression of a number of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, e.g., those encoding L-type pyruvate kinase and fatty acid synthase. Recent evidence has indicated a role for the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the inhibition of glucose-activated gene expression in hepatocytes. It remains unclear, however, whether AMPK is involved in the glucose induction of these genes. In order to study further the role of AMPK in regulating gene expression, we have generated two mutant forms of AMPK. One of these (α1312) acts as a constitutively active kinase, while the other (α1DN) acts as a dominant negative inhibitor of endogenous AMPK. We have used adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to express these mutants in primary rat hepatocytes in culture in order to determine their effect on AMPK activity and the transcription of glucose-activated genes. Expression of α1312 increased AMPK activity in hepatocytes and blocked completely the induction of a number of glucose-activated genes in response to 25 mM glucose. This effect is similar to that observed following activation of AMPK by 5-amino-imidazolecarboxamide riboside. Expression of α1DN markedly inhibited both basal and stimulated activity of endogenous AMPK but had no effect on the transcription of glucose-activated genes. Our results suggest that AMPK is involved in the inhibition of glucose-activated gene expression but not in the induction pathway. This study demonstrates that the two mutants we have described will provide valuable tools for studying the wider physiological role of AMPK.


2018 ◽  
Vol 293 (44) ◽  
pp. 17208-17217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Hinchy ◽  
Anja V. Gruszczyk ◽  
Robin Willows ◽  
Naveenan Navaratnam ◽  
Andrew R. Hall ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is a tightly regulated redox signal that transmits information from the organelle to the cell. Other mitochondrial signals, such as ATP, are sensed by enzymes, including the key metabolic sensor and regulator, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK responds to the cellular ATP/AMP and ATP/ADP ratios by matching mitochondrial ATP production to demand. Previous reports proposed that AMPK activity also responds to ROS, by ROS acting on redox-sensitive cysteine residues (Cys-299/Cys-304) on the AMPK α subunit. This suggests an appealing model in which mitochondria fine-tune AMPK activity by both adenine nucleotide–dependent mechanisms and by redox signals. Here we assessed whether physiological levels of ROS directly alter AMPK activity. To this end we added exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to cells and utilized the mitochondria-targeted redox cycler MitoParaquat to generate ROS within mitochondria without disrupting oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial and cytosolic thiol oxidation was assessed by measuring peroxiredoxin dimerization and by redox-sensitive fluorescent proteins. Replacing the putative redox-active cysteine residues on AMPK α1 with alanines did not alter the response of AMPK to H2O2. In parallel with measurements of AMPK activity, we measured the cell ATP/ADP ratio. This allowed us to separate the effects on AMPK activity due to ROS production from those caused by changes in this ratio. We conclude that AMPK activity in response to redox changes is not due to direct action on AMPK itself, but is a secondary consequence of redox effects on other processes, such as mitochondrial ATP production.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simmanjeet Mangat ◽  
Dakshayini Chandrashekarappa ◽  
Rhonda R. McCartney ◽  
Karin Elbing ◽  
Martin C. Schmidt

ABSTRACT Members of the AMP-activated protein kinase family, including the Snf1 kinase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are activated under conditions of nutrient stress. AMP-activated protein kinases are heterotrimeric complexes composed of a catalytic α subunit and regulatory β and γ subunits. In this study, the role of the β subunits in the regulation of Snf1 activity was examined. Yeasts express three isoforms of the AMP-activated protein kinase consisting of Snf1 (α), Snf4 (γ), and one of three alternative β subunits, either Sip1, Sip2, or Gal83. The Gal83 isoform of the Snf1 complex is the most abundant and was analyzed in the greatest detail. All three β subunits contain a conserved domain referred to as the glycogen-binding domain. The deletion of this domain from Gal83 results in a deregulation of the Snf1 kinase, as judged by a constitutive activity independent of glucose availability. In contrast, the deletion of this homologous domain from the Sip1 and Sip2 subunits had little effect on Snf1 kinase regulation. Therefore, the different Snf1 kinase isoforms are regulated through distinct mechanisms, which may contribute to their specialized roles in different stress response pathways. In addition, the β subunits are subjected to phosphorylation. The responsible kinases were identified as being Snf1 and casein kinase II. The significance of the phosphorylation is unclear since the deletion of the region containing the phosphorylation sites in Gal83 had little effect on the regulation of Snf1 in response to glucose limitation.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
G A Vehar ◽  
K M Tate ◽  
D L Higgins ◽  
W E Holmes ◽  
H L Heyneker

The significance of the cleavage at arginine-275 of human t-PA has been the subject of debate. It has been reported, as expected for a member of the serine protease family, that the single chain form is a zymogen and that generation of catalytic activity is dependent upon cleavage at arginine-275. Other groups, in contrast, have found considerable enzyme activity associated with the one-chain form of t-PA. To clarify the functional significance of this proteolysis and circumvent cleavage of one-chain t-PA by itself or plasmin, site-directed mutagenesis was employed to change the codon of arginine-275 to specify a glutamic acid. The resulting plasmid was used to transfect CHO cells. The single chain mutant [Glu-275 t-PA] was expressed in CHO cells and the protein purified by conventional techniques. The mutant enzyme could be converted to the two-chain form by V8 protease, but not by plasmin. Glu-275 t-PA was 8 times less active in the cleavage of a tripeptide substrate and 20-50 times less active in the activation of plasminogen in the absence of firbrin(ogen) than its two-chain form. In the presence of fibrin(ogen), in contrast, the one and two-chain forms of Glu-275 t-PA were equal in their ability to activate plasminogen in the presence of fibrin(ogen). The activity in these assays was equal to the activity of wild type t-PA. In addition, it was observed that fibrin bound considerably more of the one-chain form of t-PA than the two chain forms of t-PA and the Glu-275 mutant. The one and two-chain forms of the wild type and mutated t-PA were found to slowly form complexes with plasma protease inhibitors in vitro, although the one-chain forms were less reactive with alpha-2-macroglobulin. It can be concluded that the one-chain form of t-PA appears to be fully functional under physiologic conditions and has an increased affinity for fibrin compared to two-chain t-PA.


2011 ◽  
Vol 212 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Jeyabalan ◽  
M Shah ◽  
B Viollet ◽  
C Chenu

There is increasing evidence that osteoporosis, similarly to obesity and diabetes, could be another disorder of energy metabolism. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has emerged over the last decade as a key sensing mechanism in the regulation of cellular energy homeostasis and is an essential mediator of the central and peripheral effects of many hormones on the metabolism of appetite, fat and glucose. Novel work demonstrates that the AMPK signaling pathway also plays a role in bone physiology. Activation of AMPK promotes bone formationin vitroand the deletion of α or β subunit of AMPK decreases bone mass in mice. Furthermore, AMPK activity in bone cells is regulated by the same hormones that regulate food intake and energy expenditure through AMPK activation in the brain and peripheral tissues. AMPK is also activated by antidiabetic drugs such as metformin and thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which also impact on skeletal metabolism. Interestingly, TZDs have detrimental skeletal side effects, causing bone loss and increasing the risk of fractures, although the role of AMPK mediation is still unclear. These data are presented in this review that also discusses the potential roles of AMPK in bone as well as the possibility for AMPK to be a future therapeutic target for intervention in osteoporosis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 281 (43) ◽  
pp. 32207-32216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Suter ◽  
Uwe Riek ◽  
Roland Tuerk ◽  
Uwe Schlattner ◽  
Theo Wallimann ◽  
...  

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric protein kinase that is crucial for cellular energy homeostasis of eukaryotic cells and organisms. Here we report on the activation of AMPK α1β1γ1 and α2β2γ1 by their upstream kinases (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-β and LKB1-MO25α-STRADα), the deactivation by protein phosphatase 2Cα, and on the extent of stimulation of AMPK by its allosteric activator AMP, using purified recombinant enzyme preparations. An accurate high pressure liquid chromatography-based method for AMPK activity measurements was established, which allowed for direct quantitation of the unphosphorylated and phosphorylated artificial peptide substrate, as well as the adenine nucleotides. Our results show a 1000-fold activation of AMPK by the combined effects of upstream kinase and saturating concentrations of AMP. The two AMPK isoforms exhibit similar specific activities (6 μmol/min/mg) and do not differ significantly by their responsiveness to AMP. Due to the inherent instability of ATP and ADP, it proved impossible to assay AMPK activity in the absolute absence of AMP. However, the half-maximal stimulatory effect of AMP is reached below 2 μm. AMP does not appear to augment phosphorylation by upstream kinases in the purified in vitro system, but deactivation by dephosphorylation of AMPK α-subunits at Thr-172 by protein phosphatase 2Cα is attenuated by AMP. Furthermore, it is shown that neither purified NAD+ nor NADH alters the activity of AMPK in a concentration range of 0–300 μm, respectively. Finally, evidence is provided that ZMP, a compound formed in 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside-treated cells to activate AMPK in vivo, allosterically activates purified AMPK in vitro, but compared with AMP, maximal activity is not reached. These data shed new light on physiologically important aspects of AMPK regulation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 314 (3) ◽  
pp. 937-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. CRAIG ◽  
Calvin B. HARLEY

During platelet activation, receptor-coupled phospholipid hydrolysis stimulates protein kinase C (PKC) and results in the phosphorylation of several proteins, the most prominent being pleckstrin. Pleckstrin is composed of two repeated domains, now called pleckstrin homology (PH) domains, separated by a spacer region that contains several consensus PKC phosphorylation sites. To determine the role of PKC-dependent phosphorylation in pleckstrin function, we mapped the phosphorylation sites in vivo of wild-type and site-directed mutants of pleckstrin expressed in COS cells. Phosphorylation was found to occur almost exclusively on Ser-113 and Ser-117 within the sequence 108-KFARKS*TRRS*IRL-120. Phosphorylation of these sites was confirmed by phosphorylation of the corresponding wild-type and mutant synthetic peptides in vitro.


2005 ◽  
Vol 386 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid R. SAMARI ◽  
Michael T. N. MØLLER ◽  
Lise HOLDEN ◽  
Tonje ASMYHR ◽  
Per O. SEGLEN

Autophagic activity in isolated rat hepatocytes is strongly suppressed by OA (okadaic acid) and other PP (protein phosphatase)-inhibitory toxins as well as by AICAR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside), a direct activator of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). To investigate whether AMPK is a mediator of the effects of the toxin, a phosphospecific antibody directed against the activation of phosphorylation of the AMPK α (catalytic)-subunit at Thr172 was used to assess the activation status of this enzyme. AICAR as well as all the toxins tested (OA, microcystin-LR, calyculin A, cantharidin and tautomycin) induced strong, dose-dependent AMPKα phosphorylation, correlating with AMPK activity in situ (in intact hepatocytes) as measured by the AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase at Ser79. All treatments induced the appearance of multiple, phosphatase-sensitive, low-mobility forms of the AMPK α-subunit, consistent with phosphorylation at several sites other than Thr172. The flavonoid naringin, an effective antagonist of OA-induced autophagy suppression, inhibited the AMPK phosphorylation and mobility shifting induced by AICAR, OA or microcystin, but not the changes induced by calyculin A or cantharidin. AMPK may thus be activated both by a naringin-sensitive and a naringin-resistant mechanism, probably involving the PPs PP2A and PP1 respectively. Neither the Thr172-phosphorylating protein kinase LKB1 nor the Thr172-dephosphorylating PP, PP2C, were mobility-shifted after treatment with toxins or AICAR, whereas a slight mobility shifting of the regulatory AMPK β-subunit was indicated. Immunoblotting with a phosphospecific antibody against pSer108 at the β-subunit revealed a naringin-sensitive phosphorylation induced by OA, microcystin and AICAR and a naringin-resistant phosphorylation induced by calyculin A and cantharidin, suggesting that β-subunit phosphorylation could play a role in AMPK activation. Naringin antagonized the autophagy-suppressive effects of AICAR and OA, but not the autophagy suppression caused by cantharidin, consistent with AMPK-mediated inhibition of autophagy by toxins as well as by AICAR.


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