AMPK activators inhibit the proliferation of human melanomas bearing the activated MAPK pathway.

Raf/MEK/ERK signaling can inhibit the liver kinase B1-AMP-activated protein kinase (LKB1-AMPK) pathway, thus rendering melanoma cells resistant to energy stress conditions. We evaluated whether pharmacological reactivation of the AMPK function could exert antitumor effects on melanoma cells bearing this pathway constitutively active because of a mutation in NRAS or BRAF genes. Nine melanoma cell lines were treated with the AMPK activators 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-ribonucleoside (AICAR) and phenformin. The activation of AMPK enzymatic activity, phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase, in-vitro proliferation, cell cycle, and in-vivo growth of xenografts in nude mice were evaluated. AICAR and phenformin promoted phosphorylation and enzymatic activity of AMPK, as well as phosphorylation of the AMPK downstream target acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Drug treatment of either BRAF-mutant or NRAS-mutant melanomas, at doses not inducing cell death, was accompanied by a dose-dependent decrease in melanoma cell proliferation because of cell cycle arrest in either the G0/G1 or the S phase, associated with an increased expression of the p21 cell cycle inhibitor. Melanomas isolated from subcutaneously implanted mice, 25 days from treatment with AICAR, showed increased staining of the senescence-associated marker ß-galactosidase, high p21 expression, and evidence of necrosis. Altogether, these results indicate that pharmacological activators of AMPK-dependent pathways inhibit the cell growth of melanoma cells with active Raf/MEK/ERK signaling and provide a rationale for further investigation on their use in combination therapies.

The ancient drug salicylate directly activates AMP-activated protein kinase.

Salicylate, a plant product, has been in medicinal use since ancient times. More recently, it has been replaced by synthetic derivatives such as aspirin and salsalate, both of which are rapidly broken down to salicylate in vivo. At concentrations reached in plasma after administration of salsalate or of aspirin at high doses, salicylate activates adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a central regulator of cell growth and metabolism. Salicylate binds at the same site as the synthetic activator A-769662 to cause allosteric activation and inhibition of dephosphorylation of the activating phosphorylation site, threonine-172. In AMPK knockout mice, effects of salicylate to increase fat utilization and to lower plasma fatty acids in vivo were lost. Our results suggest that AMPK activation could explain some beneficial effects of salsalate and aspirin in humans.

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-beta activates AMPK without forming a stable complex: synergistic effects of Ca2+ and AMP.

Activation of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) by phosphorylation at Thr172 is catalysed by at least two distinct upstream kinases, i.e. the tumour suppressor LKB1, and CaMKKbeta (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-beta). The sequence around Thr172 is highly conserved between the two catalytic subunit isoforms of AMPK and the 12 AMPK-related kinases, and LKB1 has been shown to act upstream of all of them. In the present paper we report that none of the AMPK-related kinases tested could be phosphorylated or activated in intact cells or cell-free assays by CaMKKbeta, although we did observe a slow phosphorylation and activation of BRSK1 (brain-specific kinase 1) by CaMKKalpha. Despite recent reports, we could not find any evidence that the alpha and/or beta subunits of AMPK formed a stable complex with CaMKKbeta. We also showed that increasing AMP concentrations in HeLa cells (which lack LKB1) had no effect on basal AMPK phosphorylation, but enhanced the ability of agents that increase intracellular Ca2+ to activate AMPK. This is consistent with the effect of AMP on phosphorylation of Thr172 being due to inhibition of dephosphorylation, and confirms that the effect of AMP is independent of the upstream kinase utilized.

Normal hypertrophy accompanied by phosphoryation and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha1 following overload in LKB1 knockout mice.

The activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is hypothesized to underlie the fact that muscle growth following resistance exercise is decreased by concurrent endurance exercise. To directly test this hypothesis, the capacity for muscle growth was determined in mice lacking the primary upstream kinase for AMPK in skeletal muscle, LKB1. Following either 1 or 4 weeks of overload, there was no difference in muscle growth between the wild type (wt) and LKB1(-/-) mice (1 week: wt, 38.8 +/- 7.75%; LKB1(-/-), 27.8 +/- 12.98%; 4 week: wt, 75.8 +/- 15.2%; LKB1(-/-), 85.0 +/- 22.6%). In spite of the fact that the LKB1 had been knocked out in skeletal muscle, the phosphorylation and activity of the alpha1 isoform of AMPK were markedly increased in both the wt and the LKB1(-/-) mice. To identify the upstream kinase(s) responsible, we studied potential upstream kinases other than LKB1. The activity of both Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase alpha (CaMKKalpha) (5.05 +/- 0.86-fold) and CaMKKbeta (10.1 +/- 2.59-fold) increased in the overloaded muscles, and this correlated with their increased expression. Phosphorylation of TAK-1 also increased 10-fold following overload in both the wt and LKB1 mice. Even though the alpha1 isoform of AMPK was activated by overload, there were no increases in expression of mitochondrial proteins or GLUT4, indicating that the alpha1 isoform is not involved in these metabolic adaptations. The phosphorylation of TSC2, an upstream regulator of the TORC1 pathway, at the AMPK site (Ser1345) was increased in response to overload, and this was not affected by LKB1 deficiency. Taken together, these data suggest that the alpha1 isoform of AMPK is preferentially activated in skeletal muscle following overload in the absence of metabolic adaptations, suggesting that this isoform might be important in the regulation of growth but not metabolism.

Age-related HMG-CoA reductase deregulation depends on ROS-induced p38 activation.

BACKGROUND: It seems to be clear that hepatic age-related HMG-CoA reductase total activation is connected to a rise of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the mechanism by which ROS achieve this effect is unknown. Thus, in this work, we have performed a study of HMG-CoAR by analyzing the enzymes involved in its short-term regulation, namely, AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). METHODS AND MATERIALS: In the liver of aged rats and in H(2)O(2)-stimulated HepG2 cells the ROS content, the HMG-CoA reductase activation state, its regulatory enzymes and the p38 downstream pathway involved in reductase deregulation, have been studied. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that the hepatic HMG-CoAR is completely dephosphorylated in the liver of old rat being the PP2A increased association with HMG-CoAR the main responsible. On the other hand, the age-related greater association between PP2A and HMG-CoAR results to be due to an increase in ROS that is present during aging and has already been demonstrated to influence HMG-CoAR activation state. Moreover, H(2)O(2)-stimulated HepG2 cell line shows that the ROS effect on the HMG-CoAR dephosphorylation is mediated by the activation of p38/MAPK pathway.

Aging-associated reductions in AMP-activated protein kinase activity and mitochondrial biogenesis.

Recent studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between aging-associated reductions in mitochondrial function, dysregulated intracellular lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Given the important role of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the regulation of fat oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis, we examined AMPK activity in young and old rats and found that acute stimulation of AMPK-alpha(2) activity by 5'-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) and exercise was blunted in skeletal muscle of old rats. Furthermore, mitochondrial biogenesis in response to chronic activation of AMPK with beta-guanidinopropionic acid (beta-GPA) feeding was also diminished in old rats. These results suggest that aging-associated reductions in AMPK activity may be an important contributing factor in the reduced mitochondrial function and dysregulated intracellular lipid metabolism associated with aging.

AMP-activated protein kinase mediates carotid body excitation by hypoxia.

Early detection of an O2 deficit in the bloodstream is essential to initiate corrective changes in the breathing pattern of mammals. Carotid bodies serve an essential role in this respect; their type I cells depolarize when O2 levels fall, causing voltage-gated Ca2+ entry. Subsequent neurosecretion elicits increased afferent chemosensory fiber discharge to induce appropriate changes in respiratory function (1). Although depolarization of type I cells by hypoxia is known to arise from K+ channel inhibition, the identity of the signaling pathway has been contested, and the coupling mechanism is unknown (2). We tested the hypothesis that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the effector of hypoxic chemotransduction. AMPK is co-localized at the plasma membrane of type I cells with O2-sensitive K+ channels. In isolated type I cells, activation of AMPK using 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR) inhibited O2-sensitive K+ currents (carried by large conductance Ca2+-activated (BKCa) channels and TASK (tandem pore, acid-sensing potassium channel)-like channels, leading to plasma membrane depolarization, Ca2+ influx, and increased chemosensory fiber discharge. Conversely, the AMPK antagonist compound C reversed the effects of hypoxia and AICAR on type I cell and carotid body activation. These results suggest that AMPK activation is both sufficient and necessary for the effects of hypoxia. Furthermore, AMPK activation inhibited currents carried by recombinant BKCa channels, whereas purified AMPK phosphorylated thealpha subunit of the channel in immunoprecipitates, an effect that was stimulated by AMP and inhibited by compound C. Our findings demonstrate a central role for AMPK in stimulus-response coupling by hypoxia and identify for the first time a link between metabolic stress and ion channel regulation in an O2-sensing system.

Regulation of the energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase by antigen receptor and Ca2+ in T lymphocytes.

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 AMPKalpha1 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 Ca(2+) with Ca(2+) ionophores or thapsigargin. AMPK activation was also induced by energy stress and depletion of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, TCR and Ca(2+) stimulation of AMPK required the activity of Ca(2+)-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 Ca(2+) 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.

Involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase in fat depot-specific metabolic changes during starvation.

The mechanisms controlling fat depot-specific metabolism are poorly understood. During starvation of mice, downregulation of lipogenic genes, suppression of fatty acid synthesis, and increases in lipid oxidation were all more pronounced in epididymal than in subcutaneous fat. In epididymal fat, relatively strong upregulation of uncoupling protein 2 and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase genes was found. In mice maintained both at 20 and 30 degrees C, AMP-activated protein kinase was activated in epididymal but did not change in subcutaneous fat. Our results suggest that AMPK may have a role in the different response of various fat depots to starvation.

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-beta is an alternative upstream kinase for AMP-activated protein kinase.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a critical regulator of energy balance at both the cellular and whole-body levels. Two upstream kinases have been reported to activate AMPK in cell-free assays, i.e., the tumor suppressor LKB1 and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase. However, evidence that this is physiologically relevant currently only exists for LKB1. We now report that there is a significant basal activity and phosphorylation of AMPK in LKB1-deficient cells that can be stimulated by Ca2+ ionophores, and studies using the CaMKK inhibitor STO-609 and isoform-specific siRNAs show that CaMKKbeta is required for this effect. CaMKKbeta also activates AMPK much more rapidly than CaMKKalpha in cell-free assays. K(+)-induced depolarization in rat cerebrocortical slices, which increases intracellular Ca2+ without disturbing cellular adenine nucleotide levels, activates AMPK, and this is blocked by STO-609. Our results suggest a potential Ca(2+)-dependent neuroprotective pathway involving phosphorylation and activation of AMPK by CaMKKbeta.

Intramyocellular lipid content and molecular adaptations in response to a 1-week high-fat diet.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate molecular adaptations that accompany the elevation of intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content on a high-fat (HF) diet for 1 week. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Ten subjects consumed a normal-fat (NF) diet for 1 week, followed by an HF diet for another week. After both dietary periods, we determined the IMCL content by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the vastus lateralis muscle and quantified changes in gene expression, protein content, and activity in biopsy samples. We investigated genes involved in carbohydrate and fatty acid handling [lipoprotein lipase, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) 2, hormone-sensitive lipase, hexokinase II, and glucose transporter 4] and measured protein levels of CD36 and phosphorylated and unphosphorylated ACC2 and the activity of adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase. RESULTS: IMCL content was increased by 54% after the HF period. Lipoprotein lipase mRNA concentration was increased by 33%, whereas ACC2 mRNA concentration tended to be increased after the HF diet. Hexokinase II, glucose transporter 4, and hormone-sensitive lipase mRNA were unchanged after the HF diet. ACC2 and CD36 protein levels, phosphorylation status of ACC2, and adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase activity did not change in response to the HF diet. DISCUSSION: We found that IMCL content in skeletal muscle increased after 1 week of HF feeding, accompanied by molecular adaptations that favor fat storage in muscle rather than oxidation.

Possible involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase in obesity resistance induced by respiratory uncoupling in white fat.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) cascade is a sensor of cellular energy charge that promotes catabolic and inhibits anabolic pathways. However, the role of AMPK in adipocytes is poorly understood. We show that transgenic expression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 in white fat, which induces obesity resistance in mice, is associated with depression of cellular energy charge, activation of AMPK, downregulation of adipogenic genes, and increase in lipid oxidation. Activation of AMPK may explain the complex metabolic changes in adipose tissue of these animals and our results support a role for adipocyte AMPK in the regulation of storage of body fat.

AMPK activity and isoform protein expression are similar in muscle of obese subjects with and without type 2 diabetes.

Acute or chronic activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) increases insulin sensitivity. Conversely, reduced expression and/or function of AMPK might play a role in insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Thus protein expression of the seven subunit isoforms of AMPK and activities and/or phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-beta (ACCbeta) was measured in skeletal muscle from obese type 2 diabetic and well-matched control subjects during euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps. Protein expression of all AMPK subunit isoforms (alpha1, alpha2, beta1, beta2, gamma1, gamma2, and gamma3) in muscle of obese type 2 diabetic subjects was similar to that of control subjects. In addition, alpha1- and alpha2-associated activities of AMPK, phosphorylation of alpha-AMPK subunits at Thr172, and phosphorylation of ACCbeta at Ser221 showed no difference between the two groups and were not regulated by physiological concentrations of insulin. These data suggest that impaired insulin action on glycogen synthesis and lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle of obese type 2 diabetic subjects is unlikely to involve changes in AMPK expression and activity.

Complexes between the LKB1 tumor suppressor, STRAD alpha/beta and MO25 alpha/beta are upstream kinases in the AMP-activated protein kinase cascade.

BACKGROUND: The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) cascade is a sensor of cellular energy charge that acts as a 'metabolic master switch' and inhibits cell proliferation. Activation requires phosphorylation of Thr172 of AMPK within the activation loop by upstream kinases (AMPKKs) that have not been identified. Recently, we identified three related protein kinases acting upstream of the yeast homolog of AMPK. Although they do not have obvious mammalian homologs, they are related to LKB1, a tumor suppressor that is mutated in the human Peutz-Jeghers cancer syndrome. We recently showed that LKB1 exists as a complex with two accessory subunits, STRAD alpha/beta and MO25 alpha/beta. RESULTS: We report the following observations. First, two AMPKK activities purified from rat liver contain LKB1, STRAD alpha and MO25 alpha, and can be immunoprecipitated using anti-LKB1 antibodies. Second, both endogenous and recombinant complexes of LKB1, STRAD alpha/beta and MO25 alpha/beta activate AMPK via phosphorylation of Thr172. Third, catalytically active LKB1, STRAD alpha or STRAD beta and MO25 alpha or MO25 beta are required for full activity. Fourth, the AMPK-activating drugs AICA riboside and phenformin do not activate AMPK in HeLa cells (which lack LKB1), but activation can be restored by stably expressing wild-type, but not catalytically inactive, LKB1. Fifth, AICA riboside and phenformin fail to activate AMPK in immortalized fibroblasts from LKB1-knockout mouse embryos. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide the first description of a physiological substrate for the LKB1 tumor suppressor and suggest that it functions as an upstream regulator of AMPK. Our findings indicate that the tumors in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome could result from deficient activation of AMPK as a consequence of LKB1 inactivation.

5'-AMP-activated protein kinase activity and subunit expression in exercise-trained human skeletal muscle.

5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been proposed to be a pivotal factor in cellular responses to both acute exercise and exercise training. To investigate whether protein levels and gene expression of catalytic (alpha(1), alpha(2)) and regulatory (beta(1), beta(2), gamma(1), gamma(2), gamma(3)) AMPK subunits and exercise-induced AMPK activity are influenced by exercise training status, muscle biopsies were obtained from seven endurance exercise-trained and seven sedentary young healthy men. The alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-AMPK mRNA contents in trained subjects were both 117 +/- 2% of that in sedentary subjects (not significant), whereas mRNA for gamma(3) was 61 +/- 1% of that in sedentary subjects (not significant). The level of alpha(1)-AMPK protein in trained subjects was 185 +/- 34% of that in sedentary subjects (P < 0.05), whereas the levels of the remaining subunits (alpha(2), beta(1), beta(2), gamma(1), gamma(2), gamma(3)) were similar in trained and sedentary subjects. At the end of 20 min of cycle exercise at 80% of peak O(2) uptake, the increase in phosphorylation of alpha-AMPK (Thr(172)) was blunted in the trained group (138 +/- 38% above rest) compared with the sedentary group (353 +/- 63% above rest) (P < 0.05). Acetyl CoA-carboxylase beta-phosphorylation (Ser(221)), which is a marker for in vivo AMPK activity, was increased by exercise in both groups but to a lower level in trained subjects (32 +/- 5 arbitrary units) than in sedentary controls (45 +/- 1 arbitrary units) (P < 0.01). In conclusion, trained human skeletal muscle has increased alpha(1)-AMPK protein levels and blunted AMPK activation during exercise.

Effects of endurance training on activity and expression of AMP-activated protein kinase isoforms in rat muscles.

The effects of endurance training on the response of muscle AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) to moderate treadmill exercise were examined. In red quadriceps, there was a large activation of alpha 2-AMPK and inactivation of ACC in response to exercise. This response was greatly reduced after training, probably because of reduced metabolic stress. In white quadriceps, there were no effects of exercise on AMPK or ACC, but alpha 2-activity was higher after training because of increased phosphorylation of Thr(172). In soleus, there were small increases in alpha 2-activity during exercise that were not affected by training. The expression of all seven AMPK subunit isoforms was also examined. The beta 2- and gamma 2-isoforms were most highly expressed in white quadriceps, and gamma 3 was expressed in red quadriceps and soleus. There was a threefold increase in expression of gamma 3 after training in red quadriceps only. Our results suggest that gamma 3 might have a special role in the adaptation to endurance exercise in muscles utilizing oxidative metabolism.