AMP kinase (PRKAA1)

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 758-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukriti Krishan ◽  
Des R Richardson ◽  
Sumit Sahni

The PRKAA1 gene encodes the catalytic α-subunit of 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is a cellular energy sensor that maintains energy homeostasis within the cell and is activated when the AMP/ATP ratio increases. When activated, AMPK increases catabolic processes that increase ATP synthesis and inhibit anabolic processes that require ATP. Additionally, AMPK also plays a role in activating autophagy and inhibiting energy consuming processes, such as cellular growth and proliferation. Due to its role in energy metabolism, it could act as a potential target of many therapeutic drugs that could be useful in the treatment of several diseases, for example, diabetes. Moreover, AMPK has been shown to be involved in inhibiting tumour growth and metastasis, and has also been implicated in the pathology of neurodegenerative and cardiac disorders. Hence, a better understanding of AMPK and its role in various pathological conditions could enable the development of strategies to use it as a therapeutic target.

Contact ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 251525642092679
Author(s):  
Richard Zimmermann ◽  
Sven Lang

Pioneering work in the 1990s started to address an interesting question. How is the main cellular energy source, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), imported into the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER)? Despite its high-energy demand, large volume, and structural as well as functional complexity, the ER harbors no intricate system for ATP synthesis or regeneration. Although the original biochemical reconstitution approaches established hallmarks of the ATP transport into the ER including nucleotide selectivity, affinity, and antiport mode, the more recent live-cell imaging methods employing sensitive, localized molecular probes identified the elusive ATP/adenosine diphosphate (ADP) exchanger. According to its selectivity and localization, the identified SLC35B1 protein was rebranded AXER. Here, we discuss the identification and regulation of AXER plus the cytosolic partners (AMP-activated protein kinase, AMPK) and subcellular structures (mitochondrial–ER contact sites, MERCs) acting in concert with it to orchestrate energy homeostasis of the mammalian ER. Furthermore, we combine the two seemingly controversial regulatory mechanisms (lowER and CaATiER) in a unifying hypothesis.


Author(s):  
Michael J. Rudolph ◽  
Gabriele A. Amodeo ◽  
Liang Tong

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master metabolic regulator for controlling cellular energy homeostasis. Its homolog in yeast, SNF1, is activated in response to glucose depletion and other stresses. The catalytic (α) subunit of AMPK/SNF1 in yeast (Snf1) contains a protein Ser/Thr kinase domain (KD), an auto-inhibitory domain (AID) and a region that mediates interactions with the two regulatory (β and γ) subunits. Here, the crystal structure of residues 41–440 of Snf1, which include the KD and AID, is reported at 2.4 Å resolution. The AID is completely disordered in the crystal. A new inhibited conformation of the KD is observed in a DFG-out conformation and with the glycine-rich loop adopting a structure that blocks ATP binding to the active site.


2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob U. Onyenwoke ◽  
Lawrence J. Forsberg ◽  
Lucy Liu ◽  
Tyisha Williams ◽  
Oscar Alzate ◽  
...  

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key energy sensor that regulates metabolism to maintain cellular energy balance. AMPK activation has also been proposed to mimic benefits of caloric restriction and exercise. Therefore, identifying downstream AMPK targets could elucidate new mechanisms for maintaining cellular energy homeostasis. We identified the phosphotransferase nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK), which maintains pools of nucleotides, as a direct AMPK target through the use of two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, we mapped the AMPK/NDPK phosphorylation site (serine 120) as a functionally potent enzymatic “off switch” both in vivo and in vitro. Because ATP is usually the most abundant cellular nucleotide, NDPK would normally consume ATP, whereas AMPK would inhibit NDPK to conserve energy. It is intriguing that serine 120 is mutated in advanced neuroblastoma, which suggests a mechanism by which NDPK in neuroblastoma can no longer be inhibited by AMPK-mediated phosphorylation. This novel placement of AMPK upstream and directly regulating NDPK activity has widespread implications for cellular energy/nucleotide balance, and we demonstrate in vivo that increased NDPK activity leads to susceptibility to energy deprivation–induced death.


2018 ◽  
Vol 293 (44) ◽  
pp. 16994-17007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Gu ◽  
Michael D. Bridges ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Parker W. de Waal ◽  
X. Edward Zhou ◽  
...  

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of energy homeostasis and a promising drug target for managing metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Many pharmacological AMPK activators, and possibly unidentified physiological metabolites, bind to the allosteric drug and metabolite (ADaM) site at the interface between the kinase domain (KD) in the α-subunit and the carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) in the β-subunit. Here, using double electron–electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the CBM–KD interaction is partially dissociated and the interface highly disordered in the absence of pharmacological ADaM site activators as inferred from a low depth of modulation and broad DEER distance distributions. ADaM site ligands such as 991, and to a lesser degree phosphorylation, stabilize the KD–CBM association and strikingly reduce conformational heterogeneity in the ADaM site. Our findings that the ADaM site, formed by the KD–CBM interaction, can be modulated by diverse ligands and by phosphorylation suggest that it may function as a hub for integrating regulatory signals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Dengler

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is known as a pivotal cellular energy sensor, mediating the adaptation to low energy levels by deactivating anabolic processes and activating catabolic processes in order to restore the cellular ATP supply when the cellular AMP/ATP ratio is increased. Besides this well-known role, it has also been shown to exert protective effects under hypoxia. While an insufficient supply with oxygen might easily deplete cellular energy levels, i.e., ATP concentration, manifold other mechanisms have been suggested and are heavily disputed regarding the activation of AMPK under hypoxia independently from cellular AMP concentrations. However, an activation of AMPK preceding energy depletion could induce a timely adaptation reaction preventing more serious damage. A connection between AMPK and the master regulator of hypoxic adaptation via gene transcription, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), has also been taken into account, orchestrating their concerted protective action. This review will summarize the current knowledge on mechanisms of AMPK activation under hypoxia and its interrelationship with HIF.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (5) ◽  
pp. F1067-F1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth R. Hallows ◽  
Peter F. Mount ◽  
Núria M. Pastor-Soler ◽  
David A. Power

The ultrasensitive energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) orchestrates the regulation of energy-generating and energy-consuming pathways. AMPK is highly expressed in the kidney where it is reported to be involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes including ion transport, podocyte function, and diabetic renal hypertrophy. Sodium transport is the major energy-consuming process in the kidney, and AMPK has been proposed to contribute to the coupling of ion transport with cellular energy metabolism. Specifically, AMPK has been identified as a regulator of several ion transporters of significance in renal physiology, including the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), the Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter (NKCC), and the vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase). Identified regulators of AMPK in the kidney include dietary salt, diabetes, adiponectin, and ischemia. Activation of AMPK in response to adiponectin is described in podocytes, where it reduces albuminuria, and in tubular cells, where it reduces glycogen accumulation. Reduced AMPK activity in the diabetic kidney is associated with renal accumulation of triglyceride and glycogen and the pathogenesis of diabetic renal hypertrophy. Acute renal ischemia causes a rapid and powerful activation of AMPK, but the functional significance of this observation remains unclear. Despite the recent advances, there remain significant gaps in the present understanding of both the upstream regulating pathways and the downstream substrates for AMPK in the kidney. A more complete understanding of the AMPK pathway in the kidney offers potential for improved therapies for several renal diseases including diabetic nephropathy, polycystic kidney disease, and ischemia-reperfusion injury.


Author(s):  
D. Grahame Hardie ◽  
A. Mark Evans

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy status that monitors the levels of AMP and ADP relative to ATP. If increases in AMP:ATP and/or ADP:ATP ratios are detected (indicating a reduction in cellular energy status), AMPK is activated by the canonical mechanism involving both allosteric activation and enhanced net phosphorylation at Thr172 on the catalytic subunit. Once activated, AMPK phosphorylates dozens of downstream targets, thus switching on catabolic pathways that generate ATP and switching off anabolic pathways and other energy-consuming processes. AMPK can also be activated by non-canonical mechanisms, triggered either by glucose starvation by a mechanism independent of changes in adenine nucleotides, or by increases in intracellular Ca2+ in response to hormones, mediated by the alternate upstream kinase CaMKK2. AMPK is expressed in almost all eukaryotic cells, including neurons, as heterotrimeric complexes comprising a catalytic α subunit and regulatory β and γ subunits. The α subunits contain the kinase domain and regulatory regions that interact with the other two subunits. The β subunits contain a domain that, with the small lobe of the kinase domain on the α subunit, forms the “ADaM” site that binds synthetic drugs that are potent allosteric activators of AMPK, while the γ subunits contain the binding sites for the classical regulatory nucleotides, AMP, ADP, and ATP. Although much undoubtedly remains to be discovered about the roles of AMPK in the nervous system, emerging evidence has confirmed the proposal that, in addition to its universal functions in regulating energy balance at the cellular level, AMPK also has cell- and circuit-specific roles at the whole-body level, particularly in energy homeostasis. These roles are mediated by phosphorylation of neural-specific targets such as ion channels, distinct from the targets by which AMPK regulates general, cell-autonomous energy balance. Examples of these cell- and circuit-specific functions discussed in this review include roles in the hypothalamus in balancing energy intake (feeding) and energy expenditure (thermogenesis), and its role in the brainstem, where it supports the hypoxic ventilatory response (breathing), increasing the supply of oxygen to the tissues during systemic hypoxia.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme J. Gowans ◽  
D. Grahame Hardie

AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is a cellular energy sensor that monitors the ratio of AMP/ATP, and possibly also ADP/ATP, inside cells. Once activated by falling cellular energy levels, it acts to restore energy homoeostasis by switching on catabolic pathways that generate ATP, while switching off anabolic pathways and other processes consuming ATP. AMPK is switched on by increases in AMP via three mechanisms, all of which are antagonized by ATP: (i) promotion of phosphorylation of Thr172 by upstream activating kinases; (ii) inhibition of dephosphorylation of Thr172 by phosphatases; and (iii) allosteric activation of the phosphorylated kinase. Recently, it has been proposed that the first two mechanisms are also triggered by ADP, which might be the physiological signal rather than AMP, and that the third mechanism may not be physiologically significant. We have re-evaluated these questions, and found that only mechanism (ii) is mimicked by ADP, and that ADP is also less potent than AMP, which we still believe to be the primary signal. We have also provided evidence that mechanism (iii), i.e. allosteric activation by AMP, is a quantitatively significant mechanism in intact cells.


2006 ◽  
Vol 203 (7) ◽  
pp. 1665-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Tamás ◽  
Simon A. Hawley ◽  
Rosemary G. Clarke ◽  
Kirsty J. Mustard ◽  
Kevin Green ◽  
...  

The adenosine monophosphate (AMP)–activated protein kinase (AMPK) has a crucial role in maintaining cellular energy homeostasis. This study shows that human and mouse T lymphocytes express AMPKα1 and that this is rapidly activated in response to triggering of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). TCR stimulation of AMPK was dependent on the adaptors LAT and SLP76 and could be mimicked by the elevation of intracellular Ca2+ with Ca2+ ionophores or thapsigargin. AMPK activation was also induced by energy stress and depletion of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, TCR and Ca2+ stimulation of AMPK required the activity of Ca2+–calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinases (CaMKKs), whereas AMPK activation induced by increased AMP/ATP ratios did not. These experiments reveal two distinct pathways for the regulation of AMPK in T lymphocytes. The role of AMPK is to promote ATP conservation and production. The rapid activation of AMPK in response to Ca2+ signaling in T lymphocytes thus reveals that TCR triggering is linked to an evolutionally conserved serine kinase that regulates energy metabolism. Moreover, AMPK does not just react to cellular energy depletion but also anticipates it.


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