scholarly journals AMP-activated protein kinase: an ultrasensitive system for monitoring cellular energy charge

1999 ◽  
Vol 338 (3) ◽  
pp. 717-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Grahame HARDIE ◽  
Ian P. SALT ◽  
Simon A. HAWLEY ◽  
Stephen P. DAVIES
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Energy Charge ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Maximal Activity ◽  
Hill Coefficient ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Critical Range ◽  
Kinase Cascade ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

The AMP-activated protein kinase cascade is activated by elevation of AMP and depression of ATP when cellular energy charge is compromised, leading to inhibition of anabolic pathways and activation of catabolic pathways. Here we show that the system responds in intact cells in an ultrasensitive manner over a critical range of nucleotide concentrations, in that only a 6-fold increase in activating nucleotide is required in order for the maximal activity of the kinase to progress from 10% to 90%, equivalent to a co-operative system with a Hill coefficient (h) of 2.5. Modelling suggests that this sensitivity arises from two features of the system: (i) AMP acts at multiple steps in the cascade (multistep sensitivity); and (ii) the upstream kinase is initially saturated with the downstream kinase (zero-order ultrasensitivity).

scholarly journals AMP-activated protein kinase: an ultrasensitive system for monitoring cellular energy charge

1999 ◽  
Vol 338 (3) ◽  
pp. 717 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Grahame HARDIE ◽  
Ian P. SALT ◽  
Simon A. HAWLEY ◽  
Stephen P. DAVIES
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Energy Charge ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

AMP-activated protein kinase regulates gene expression by direct phosphorylation of nuclear proteins

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Leff
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Gene Transcription ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Energy Charge ◽  
Nuclear Proteins ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Ampk Activity ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

One of the primary functions of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is to regulate the metabolic pathways in response to reduced cellular energy charge. Most of the known targets of the kinase are cytoplasmic enzymes involved in both catabolic and anabolic metabolism. In addition, activation of AMPK in many cells results in changes in the pattern of gene expression. Although some of these effects are undoubtedly secondary responses to modified cellular metabolism, it is possible that in addition to its well-characterized function in the cytoplasm, AMPK also directly phosphorylates and regulates proteins involved in gene transcription. There are now several examples of transcription factors, cofactors and components of the transcriptional core machinery that are directly phosphorylated and regulated by AMPK. Here I review these examples and discuss the significance of AMPK activity in the nucleus.

AMP-activated protein kinase: new regulation, new roles?

2012 ◽  
Vol 445 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Carling ◽  
Claire Thornton ◽  
Angela Woods ◽  
Matthew J. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Disease States ◽  
Kinase Cascade ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Obesity And Cancer ◽  
Hydrolysis Of ◽  
Protein Kinase Cascade

The hydrolysis of ATP drives virtually all of the energy-requiring processes in living cells. A prerequisite of living cells is that the concentration of ATP needs to be maintained at sufficiently high levels to sustain essential cellular functions. In eukaryotic cells, the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) cascade is one of the systems that have evolved to ensure that energy homoeostasis is maintained. AMPK is activated in response to a fall in ATP, and recent studies have suggested that ADP plays an important role in regulating AMPK. Once activated, AMPK phosphorylates a broad range of downstream targets, resulting in the overall effect of increasing ATP-producing pathways whilst decreasing ATP-utilizing pathways. Disturbances in energy homoeostasis underlie a number of disease states in humans, e.g. Type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer. Reflecting its key role in energy metabolism, AMPK has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. In the present review we examine the recent progress aimed at understanding the regulation of AMPK and discuss some of the latest developments that have emerged in key areas of human physiology where AMPK is thought to play an important role.

scholarly journals A homologue of AMP-activated protein kinase in Drosophila melanogaster is sensitive to AMP and is activated by ATP depletion

2002 ◽  
Vol 367 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. PAN ◽  
D. Grahame HARDIE
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Atp Depletion ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Specific Substrate ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Drosophila Cell ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

We have identified single genes encoding homologues of the α, β and γ subunits of mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster. Kinase activity could be detected in extracts of a Drosophila cell line using the SAMS peptide, which is a relatively specific substrate for the AMPK/SNF1 kinases in mammals and yeast. Expression of double stranded (ds) RNAs targeted at any of the putative α, β or γ subunits ablated this activity, and abolished expression of the α subunit. The Drosophila kinase (DmAMPK) was activated by AMP in cell-free assays (albeit to a smaller extent than mammalian AMPK), and by stresses that deplete ATP (oligomycin and hypoxia), as well as by carbohydrate deprivation, in intact cells. Using a phosphospecific antibody, we showed that activation was associated with phosphorylation of a threonine residue (Thr-184) within the ‘activation loop’ of the α subunit. We also identified a homologue of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (DmACC) in Drosophila and, using a phosphospecific antibody, showed that the site corresponding to the regulatory AMPK site on the mammalian enzyme became phosphorylated in response to oligomycin or hypoxia. By immunofluorescence microscopy of oligomycin-treated Dmel2 cells using the phosphospecific antibody, the phosphorylated DmAMPK α subunit was mainly detected in the nucleus. Our results show that the AMPK system is highly conserved between insects and mammals. Drosophila cells now represent an attractive system to study this pathway, because of the small, well-defined genome and the ability to ablate expression of specific gene products using interfering dsRNAs.

AICA riboside increases AMP-activated protein kinase, fatty acid oxidation, and glucose uptake in rat muscle

1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (6) ◽  
pp. E1107-E1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Merrill ◽  
E. J. Kurth ◽  
D. G. Hardie ◽  
W. W. Winder
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Glucose Uptake ◽  
Fatty Acid Oxidation ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Acetyl Coa Carboxylase ◽  
Malonyl Coa ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

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.

scholarly journals AMPK: a cellular energy sensor primarily regulated by AMP

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme J. Gowans ◽  
D. Grahame Hardie
Keyword(s):  
Energy Levels ◽  
Allosteric Activation ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Physiological Signal ◽  
The Third ◽  
Energy Sensor ◽  
Primary Signal ◽  
Significant Mechanism ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

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.

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