Energy-sensing and signaling by AMP-activated protein kinase in skeletal muscle

2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 1017-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Winder

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is emerging as an important energy-sensing/signaling system in skeletal muscle. This kinase is activated allosterically by 5′-AMP and inhibited allosterically by creatine phosphate. Phosphorylation of AMPK by an upstream kinase, AMPK kinase (also activated allosterically by 5′-AMP), results in activation. It is activated in both rat and human muscle in response to muscle contraction, the extent of activation depending on work rate and muscle glycogen concentration. AMPK can also be activated chemically in resting muscle with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-riboside, which enters the muscle and is phosphorylated to form ZMP, a nucleotide that mimics the effect of 5′-AMP. Once activated, AMPK is hypothesized to phosphorylate proteins involved in triggering fatty acid oxidation and glucose uptake. Evidence is also accumulating for a role of AMPK in inducing some of the adaptations to endurance training, including the increase in muscle GLUT-4, hexokinase, uncoupling protein 3, and some of the mitochondrial oxidative enzymes. It thus appears that AMPK has the capability of monitoring intramuscular energy charge and then acutely stimulating fat oxidation and glucose uptake to counteract the increased rates of ATP utilization during muscle contraction. In addition, this system may have the capability of enhancing capacity for ATP production when the muscle is exposed to endurance training.

2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (6) ◽  
pp. R1724-R1732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia J. Abbott ◽  
Arthur M. Edelman ◽  
Lorraine P. Turcotte

Multiple signals have been shown to be involved in regulation of fatty acid (FA) and glucose metabolism in contracting skeletal muscle. This study aimed to determine whether a Ca2+-stimulated kinase, CaMKK, is involved in regulation of contraction-induced substrate metabolism and whether it does so in an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent manner. Rat hindlimbs were perfused at rest ( n = 16), with 3 mM caffeine ( n = 15), with 2 mM 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-β-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR; n = 16), or during moderate-intensity muscle contraction (MC; n = 14) and with or without 5 μM STO-609, a CaMKK inhibitor. FA uptake and oxidation increased ( P < 0.05) 64% and 71% by caffeine, 42% and 93% by AICAR, and 65% and 143% by MC. STO-609 abolished ( P < 0.05) caffeine- and MC-induced FA uptake and oxidation but had no effect with AICAR treatment. Glucose uptake increased ( P < 0.05) 104% by caffeine, 85% by AICAR, and 130% by MC, and STO-609 prevented the increase in glucose uptake in caffeine and muscle contraction groups. CaMKKβ activity increased ( P < 0.05) 113% by caffeine treatment and 145% by MC but was not affected by AICAR treatment. STO-609 prevented the caffeine- and MC-induced increase in CaMKKβ activity. Caffeine, AICAR, and MC increased ( P < 0.05) AMPKα2 activity by 295%, 11-fold, and 7-fold but did not affect AMPKα1 activity. STO-609 decreased ( P < 0.05) AMPKα2 activity induced by caffeine treatment and MC by 60% and 61% but did not affect AICAR-induced activity. Plasma membrane transport protein content of CD36 and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) increased ( P < 0.05) with caffeine, AICAR, and MC, and STO-609 prevented caffeine- and MC-induced increases in protein content. These results show the importance of Ca2+-dependent signaling via CaMKK activation in the regulation of substrate uptake and FA oxidation in contracting rat skeletal muscle and agree with the notion that CaMKK is an upstream kinase of AMPK in the regulation of substrate metabolism in skeletal muscle.


2006 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Brauner ◽  
Pavel Kopecky ◽  
Pavel Flachs ◽  
Ondrej Kuda ◽  
Jaroslav Vorlicek ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (5) ◽  
pp. E677-E684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Musi ◽  
Tatsuya Hayashi ◽  
Nobuharu Fujii ◽  
Michael F. Hirshman ◽  
Lee A. Witters ◽  
...  

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been hypothesized to mediate contraction and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-β-d-ribonucleoside (AICAR)-induced increases in glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether treadmill exercise and isolated muscle contractions in rat skeletal muscle increase the activity of the AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 catalytic subunits in a dose-dependent manner and to evaluate the effects of the putative AMPK inhibitors adenine 9-β-d-arabinofuranoside (ara-A), 8-bromo-AMP, and iodotubercidin on AMPK activity and 3- O-methyl-d-glucose (3-MG) uptake. There were dose-dependent increases in AMPKα2 activity and 3-MG uptake in rat epitrochlearis muscles with treadmill running exercise but no effect of exercise on AMPKα1 activity. Tetanic contractions of isolated epitrochlearis muscles in vitro significantly increased the activity of both AMPK isoforms in a dose-dependent manner and at a similar rate compared with increases in 3-MG uptake. In isolated muscles, the putative AMPK inhibitors ara-A, 8-bromo-AMP, and iodotubercidin fully inhibited AICAR-stimulated AMPKα2 activity and 3-MG uptake but had little effect on AMPKα1 activity. In contrast, these compounds had absent or minimal effects on contraction-stimulated AMPKα1 and -α2 activity and 3-MG uptake. Although the AMPKα1 and -α2 isoforms are activated during tetanic muscle contractions in vitro, in fast-glycolytic fibers, the activation of AMPKα2-containing complexes may be more important in regulating exercise-mediated skeletal muscle metabolism in vivo. Development of new compounds will be required to study contraction regulation of AMPK by pharmacological inhibition.


Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Clarke ◽  
Iain J. Clarke ◽  
Alexandra Rao ◽  
Michael A. Cowley ◽  
Belinda A. Henry

Adiposity is regulated in a sexually divergent manner. This is partly due to sex steroids, but the differential effects of androgens in males and females are unclear. We investigated effects of testosterone on energy balance in castrated male (n = 6) and female sheep (n = 4), which received 3 × 200 mg testosterone implants for 2 wk or blank implants (controls). Temperature probes were implanted into retroperitoneal fat and skeletal muscle. Blood samples were taken to measure metabolites and insulin. In males, muscle and fat biopsies were collected to measure uncoupling protein (UCP) mRNA and phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase and Akt. Testosterone did not change food intake in either sex. Temperature in muscle was higher in males than females, and testosterone reduced heat production in males only. In fat, however, temperature was higher in the castrate males compared with females, and there was no effect of testosterone treatment in either sex. Preprandial glucose levels were lower, but nonesterified fatty acids were higher in females compared with males, irrespective of testosterone. In males, the onset of feeding increased UCP1 and UCP3 mRNA levels in skeletal muscle, without an effect of testosterone. During feeding, testosterone reduced glucose levels in males only but did not alter the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase or Akt in muscle. Thus, testosterone maintains lower muscle and fat temperatures in males but not females. The mechanism underlying this sex-specific effect of testosterone is unknown but may be due to sexual differentiation of the brain centers controlling energy expenditure.


2011 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia J. Abbott ◽  
Lindsey D. Bogachus ◽  
Lorraine P. Turcotte

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a fuel sensor in skeletal muscle with multiple downstream signaling targets that may be triggered by increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]). The purpose of this study was to determine whether increases in intracellular [Ca2+] induced by caffeine act solely via AMPKα2 and whether AMPKα2 is essential to increase glucose uptake, fatty acid (FA) uptake, and FA oxidation in contracting skeletal muscle. Hindlimbs from wild-type (WT) or AMPKα2 dominant-negative (DN) transgene mice were perfused during rest ( n = 11), treatment with 3 mM caffeine ( n = 10), or muscle contraction ( n = 11). Time-dependent effects on glucose and FA uptake were uncovered throughout the 20-min muscle contraction perfusion period ( P < 0.05). Glucose uptake rates did not increase in DN mice during muscle contraction until the last 5 min of the protocol ( P < 0.05). FA uptake rates were elevated at the onset of muscle contraction and diminished by the end of the protocol in DN mice ( P < 0.05). FA oxidation rates were abolished in the DN mice during muscle contraction ( P < 0.05). The DN transgene had no effect on caffeine-induced FA uptake and oxidation ( P > 0.05). Glucose uptake rates were blunted in caffeine-treated DN mice ( P < 0.05). The DN transgene resulted in a greater use of intramuscular triglycerides as a fuel source during muscle contraction. The DN transgene did not alter caffeine- or contraction-mediated changes in the phosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I or ERK1/2 ( P > 0.05). These data suggest that AMPKα2 is involved in the regulation of substrate uptake in a time-dependent manner in contracting muscle but is not necessary for regulation of FA uptake and oxidation during caffeine treatment.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (6) ◽  
pp. E1107-E1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Merrill ◽  
E. J. Kurth ◽  
D. G. Hardie ◽  
W. W. Winder

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) has previously been reported to be taken up into cells and phosphorylated to form ZMP, an analog of 5′-AMP. This study was designed to determine whether AICAR can activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in skeletal muscle with consequent phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), decrease in malonyl-CoA, and increase in fatty acid oxidation. Rat hindlimbs were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate containing 4% bovine serum albumin, washed bovine red blood cells, 200 μU/ml insulin, and 10 mM glucose with or without AICAR (0.5–2.0 mM). Perfusion with medium containing AICAR was found to activate AMPK in skeletal muscle, inactivate ACC, and decrease malonyl-CoA. Hindlimbs perfused with 2 mM AICAR for 45 min exhibited a 2.8-fold increase in fatty acid oxidation and a significant increase in glucose uptake. No difference was observed in oxygen uptake in AICAR vs. control hindlimb. These results provide evidence that decreases in muscle content of malonyl-CoA can increase the rate of fatty acid oxidation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (3) ◽  
pp. E557-E565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Yu ◽  
Michael F. Hirshman ◽  
Nobuharu Fujii ◽  
Jason M. Pomerleau ◽  
Lauren E. Peter ◽  
...  

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric complex that works as an energy sensor to integrate nutritional and hormonal signals. The naturally occurring R225Q mutation in the γ3-subunit in pigs is associated with abnormally high glycogen content in skeletal muscle. Becauses skeletal muscle accounts for most of the body's glucose uptake, and γ3 is specifically expressed in skeletal muscle, it is important to understand the underlying mechanism of this mutation in regulating glucose and glycogen metabolism. Using skeletal muscle-specific transgenic mice overexpressing wild type γ3 (WTγ3) and R225Q mutant γ3 (MUTγ3), we show that both WTγ3 and MUTγ3 mice have 1.5- to 2-fold increases in muscle glycogen content. In WTγ3 mice, increased glycogen content was associated with elevated total glycogen synthase activity and reduced glycogen phosphorylase activity, whereas alterations in activities of these enzymes could not explain elevated glycogen in MUTγ3 mice. Basal, 5-aminoimidazole- AICAR- and phenformin-stimulated AMPKα2 isoform-specific activities were decreased only in MUTγ3 mice. Basal rates of 2-DG glucose uptake were decreased in both WTγ3 and MUTγ3 mice. However, AICAR- and phenformin-stimulated 2-DG glucose uptake were blunted only in MUTγ3 mice. In conclusion, expression of either wild type or mutant γ3-subunit of AMPK results in increased glycogen concentrations in muscle, but the mechanisms underlying this alteration appear to be different. Furthermore, mutation of the γ3-subunit is associated with decreases in AMPKα2 isoform-specific activity and impairment in AICAR- and phenformin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake.


2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (2) ◽  
pp. E310-E317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Sakamoto ◽  
Olga Göransson ◽  
D. Grahame Hardie ◽  
Dario R. Alessi

Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) by exercise and metformin is beneficial for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We recently found that, in cultured cells, the LKB1 tumor suppressor protein kinase activates AMPK in response to the metformin analog phenformin and the AMP mimetic drug 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR). We have also reported that LKB1 activates 11 other AMPK-related kinases. The activity of LKB1 or the AMPK-related kinases has not previously been studied in a tissue with physiological relevance to diabetes. In this study, we have investigated whether contraction, phenformin, and AICAR influence LKB1 and AMPK-related kinase activity in rat skeletal muscle. Contraction in situ, induced via sciatic nerve stimulation, significantly increased AMPKα2 activity and phosphorylation in multiple muscle fiber types without affecting LKB1 activity. Treatment of isolated skeletal muscle with phenformin or AICAR stimulated the phosphorylation and activation of AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 without altering LKB1 activity. Contraction, phenformin, or AICAR did not significantly increase activities or expression of the AMPK-related kinases QSK, QIK, MARK2/3, and MARK4 in skeletal muscle. The results of this study suggest that muscle contraction, phenformin, or AICAR activates AMPK by a mechanism that does not involve direct activation of LKB1. They also suggest that the effects of excercise, phenformin, and AICAR on metabolic processes in muscle may be mediated through activation of AMPK rather than activation of LKB1 or the AMPK-related kinases.


2013 ◽  
Vol 455 (2) ◽  
pp. e1-e3
Author(s):  
James S. V. Lally ◽  
Gregory R. Steinberg

Skeletal muscle is critical for whole-body glucose homoeostasis. Insulin and muscle contractions induced by exercise can increase glucose uptake through distinct intracellular signalling pathways involving PKB (protein kinase B)/Akt and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) respectively. Whereas the proximal events governing these processes are becoming well understood, less is known about the regulation of the complex events necessary for the control of glucose uptake at the plasma membrane. In recent years, a number of common targets of AMPK and PKB/Akt have emerged as important components controlling glucose uptake, but the necessary phosphorylation events required for the control of glucose uptake have remained more elusive. In the current issue of the Biochemical Journal, Liu et al. identify that PIKfyve, a phosphoinositide phosphate kinase, is required for contraction-stimulated glucose uptake. They demonstrate that AMPK directly phosphorylates PIKfyve at Ser307, the same site as PKB/Akt, and that phosphorylation is increased in response to muscle contractions. These data provide compelling evidence for a new AMPK substrate that converges with PKB/Akt signalling and may be critical for the control of glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.


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