Hypoxia and AMP independently regulate AMP-activated protein kinase activity in heart
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].