AMPK：细胞能量中枢

腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶（AMP activated protein kinase,AMPK）是真核细胞中高度保守的丝氨酸／苏氨酸蛋白激酶,以异源三聚体的形式广泛存在于真核生物体内,是细胞的能量感受器,在能量代谢调控中起极其重要的作用。肝激酶B1（LKB1）、Ca^2＋／CaM-依赖蛋白激酶激酶β（CaMKKβ）、AMP／ATP或ADP／ATP比值升高以及诸如运动肌肉收缩等生理刺激均可以激活AMPK,进而调节细胞的能量代谢网络,提高其应对内外环境变化的能力,从而维持细胞水平乃至整个机体的稳定状态。活化的AMPK可以增强分解代谢,抑制合成代谢,上调ATP水平,参与细胞糖代谢、脂肪代谢、蛋白质代谢等能量代谢过程,增加细胞能量储备,应对能量缺乏。同时活化的AMPK参与细胞的生长、增殖、凋亡、自噬等基本生物学过程。AMPK是研究肥胖,糖尿病等能量代谢性疾病的核心。肿瘤细胞存在特殊的能量代谢方式,其发生,生长,转移与能量代谢失衡密切相关。AMPK与肿瘤细胞异常的能量代谢相关,为肿瘤发生、发展机制研究提供新的策略。本文主要探讨AMPK的结构、激活机制、参与的物质能量代谢和细胞的基本生物学过程以及与肿瘤发生的关联。     

AMPK的功能调控及其与肿瘤之间的关系

AMP激活的蛋白激酶(AMP activated protein kinase,AMPK)是高度保守的丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶,广泛存在于真核生物中,是细胞内重要的能量感受器,具有调控和维持能量动态平衡的作用。在低能量状态下,活化的AMPK可增强机体的分解代谢,抑制合成代谢,并参与细胞生长、增殖、自噬等生物学功能,进而维持ATP产量以应对内外环境的变化。鉴于肿瘤细胞的生长与异常的能量代谢息息相关,AMPK可随细胞内特定能量条件的变化而变化,具有促进或抑制肿瘤发生的"双重功能"。本文综述了AMPK的生物学功能以及与肿瘤之间关系的进展,旨在为今后利用AMPK治疗代谢性疾病和预防肿瘤发生提供理论基础。     

腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶参与调控物质代谢及多种病理反应的分子机制

腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶(AMPK)在真核细胞生物中广泛存在,属于丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶,是一个参与许多细胞信号传导通路的关键蛋白,也是调节细胞能量代谢的开关,故有细胞能量调节器之称。各种导致细胞内AMP/ATP比值升高的因素均可引起AMPK活化。AMPK活化是抑制消耗ATP的合成代谢并启动生成ATP的分解代谢的过程,从而维持机体能量代谢平衡。AMPK不仅在糖脂代谢和心血管、呼吸系统、生殖系统、泌尿系统等病理反应中具有重要作用,而且在人类恶性肿瘤中也扮演着重要角色,对肿瘤细胞的增殖、生长、侵袭和转移具有复杂的调控作用。我们简要综述AMPK的生物学特性及其参与调控多种病理反应的作用机制。     

AMPK在非小细胞肺癌发生发展中的研究进展

腺苷酸活化的蛋白激酶(AMP activated protein kinase,AMPK),是细胞内重要的能量感受器,在调控细胞和机体的能量代谢中起到极其重要的作用。活化的AMPK可以增强分解代谢,抑制合成代谢,应对细胞内外环境的刺激。并且影响细胞的生长、增殖、凋亡、自噬等基本生物学过程。肿瘤细胞具有独特的能量代谢方式——Warburg现象,用于应对营养和能量的相对缺乏。AMPK干扰肿瘤细胞的独特能量代谢方式,广泛影响肿瘤的发生、生长、转移,发挥重要的肿瘤拮抗作用。非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell cancer,NSCLC)是常见恶性肿瘤的一种,具有一般恶性肿瘤的特征,近年来在NSCLC的研究进程表明:AMPK及其相关信号分子LKB1,PI3K/AKT,Ca MKKβ,PTEN等与NSCLC密切相关,活化相应通路或抑制相应通路,可显著拮抗NSCLC。从而AMPK及其相关信号分子有可能作为抗NSCLC药物的作用靶点。     

腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶：肿瘤治疗新靶点

腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶（AMP—activated proteinkinase,AMPK）是真核细胞内发现的一类与细胞能量代谢有关激酶家族中的一员,被称之为“能量感应器”。当细胞内AMP／ATP值升高时,AMPK被激活。研究发现,在肿瘤细胞中,活化的AMPK可协同相关抑癌因子调节细胞周期、细胞凋亡以及蛋白质合成,最终影响细胞的增殖。因而,AMPK可以通过感应细胞能量水平的变化来调节细胞增殖。这给肿瘤治疗提供了一定的启示,即以肿瘤细胞能量代谢特点而探寻抑制肿瘤细胞增殖的途径。     

AMPK在机体糖脂代谢中的作用

AMP激活的蛋白激酶(AMPK)是一种广泛参与调节细胞代谢的激酶,被称为"能量感受器".一旦胞浆中AMP/ATP比例升高,或其它因素激活AMPK时,AMPK可增强葡萄糖摄取和利用,以及脂肪酸氧化,产生更多能量;同时抑制葡萄糖异生、脂质合成及糖原合成等通路,减少能量消耗,从而使细胞能量代谢保持平衡.AMPK参与调节包括胰岛β细胞、肝脏、骨骼肌和脂肪在内的多种外周组织的糖脂代谢过程.本文旨在总结并讨论AMPK在机体主要糖脂代谢器官中的作用,并重点分析其在治疗胰岛素抵抗和2型糖尿病中的潜在作用.     

MELK的功能及其在肿瘤研究中的进展

母体胚胎亮氨酸拉链激酶(MELK)是蔗糖非发酵1/AMP活化蛋白激酶(Snf1/AMPK)家族中一个独特成员,是一种周期依赖性激酶。与家族其他成员不同,MELK并不参与代谢应激状态下细胞的生存调控,而更多参与细胞周期、细胞增殖、肿瘤生成和细胞凋亡等过程。MELK在人体多种肿瘤中表达升高,与肿瘤的预后密切相关。MELK在肿瘤干细胞中被异常激活,使肿瘤细胞获得生长、侵袭、迁移等能力,因此,MELK可以作为肿瘤治疗的重要靶点。我们就MELK基因的生物学功能、作用机制及其在肿瘤研究中的进展做简要综述。     

AMPK对线粒体功能的调节

5’单磷酸腺苷活化蛋白激酶（AMP—activated protein kinase,AMPK）是细胞的能量感受器,调节细胞能量代谢,在正常细胞和癌细胞中均发挥重要的生物功能,它的激活有助于纠正代谢紊乱,使细胞代谢趋向生理平衡。在细胞应急反应中,细胞感受到能量危机,ATP浓度下降,AMP浓度上升,细胞内AMP／ATP比例上升,AMPK被激活：而在病理状态下,如代谢综合征、肿瘤等,常伴随能量代谢紊乱和AMPK激活抑制,因此,AMPK被视为治疗代谢性疾病与肿瘤的潜在作用靶点。然而,AMPK对能量代谢的调节与线粒体的功能密不可分,线粒体作为细胞的能量工厂,在健康与疾病中也发挥着重要的作用。越来越多的研究表明,线粒体能影响AMPK的活性,同时AMPK也通过多方面对线粒体进行调节,线粒体相关疾病与AMPK的调节有着密切的关系。该文主要针对AMPK是如何对线粒体的合成、线粒体自噬、内源性凋亡及线粒体相关疾病等方面进行综述。     

AMPK与胰岛素抵抗

糖代谢是物质代谢的基础,运动中骨骼肌糖代谢水平直接影响机体运动能力。近年来研究发现,腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶(AMPK)作为能量代谢变化的感受器能够被运动中ATP/AMP的比值变化所激活,并能直接改善骨骼肌胰岛素抵抗,对机体运动能力有重要的影响。同时AMPK的长期激活可能参与了运动训练引起的胰岛素敏感性增加的调节,虽然其机制尚不清楚。本文通过文献检索法对运动中AMPK的激活机制及其在改善胰岛素抵抗过程中的作用及机制进行综述。     

AMPK在胰岛素信号转导通路中的作用

单磷酸腺苷活化蛋白激酶(AMP-activated potein kinase,AMPK)作为一种细胞能量调节器,当细胞经历代谢应激反应时,伴随着细胞内AMP水平或AMP与ATP的比例升高,AMPK被AMP激活,其活化的结果导致脂肪酸氧化的增加以产生更多ATP;同时,抑制ATP消耗,综合效应是帮助细胞度过急性损伤,暂时保障细胞的存活。因为一些治疗2型糖尿病的药物通过激活AMPK而发挥作用,故AMPK被认为是各种潜在的和有效的抗糖尿病药物的靶效应器。5-氨基-4-氨甲酰咪唑核苷(5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside,AICAR),进入细胞后被磷酸化变成ZMP,后者类似AMP也能够激活AMPK。因此,我们采用AICAR激活AMPK,观察活化的AMPK对脂肪细胞能量代谢及胰岛素信号途径的作用。结果显示,脂肪细胞中的AMPK被激活后,丙酰辅酶A(malonyl-CoA,一种脂肪酸氧化作用的抑制剂及脂肪酸合成的前体中间产物)浓度下降80%;在已分化的3T3-F442a脂肪细胞中,AICAR通过激活AMPK,增强胰岛素对Akt/PKB的激活和GSK3的磷酸化。相反,在AICAR预...     

Expanding roles for AMP‐activated protein kinase in neuronal survival and autophagy

AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an evolutionarily conserved cellular switch that activates catabolic pathways and turns off anabolic processes. In this way, AMPK activation can restore the perturbation of cellular energy levels. In physiological situations, AMPK senses energy deficiency (in the form of an increased AMP/ATP ratio), but it is also activated by metabolic insults, such as glucose or oxygen deprivation. Metformin, one of the most widely prescribed anti‐diabetic drugs, exerts its actions by AMPK activation. However, while the functions of AMPK as a metabolic regulator are fairly well understood, its actions in neuronal cells only recently gained attention. This review will discuss newly emerged functions of AMPK in neuroprotection and neurodegeneration. Additionally, recent views on the role of AMPK in autophagy, an important catabolic process that is also involved in neurodegeneration and cancer, will be highlighted.     

Dual regulation of the AMP-activated protein kinase provides a novel mechanism for the control of creatine kinase in skeletal muscle.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated by a fall in the ATP:AMP ratio within the cell in response to metabolic stresses. Once activated, it phosphorylates and inhibits key enzymes in energy-consuming biosynthetic pathways, thereby conserving cellular ATP. The creatine kinase-phosphocreatine system plays a key role in the control of ATP levels in tissues that have a high and rapidly fluctuating energy requirement. In this study, we provide direct evidence that these two energy-regulating systems are linked in skeletal muscle. We show that the AMPK inhibits creatine kinase by phosphorylation in vitro and in differentiated muscle cells. AMPK is itself regulated by a novel mechanism involving phosphocreatine, creatine and pH. Our findings provide an explanation for the high expression, yet apparently low activity, of AMPK in skeletal muscle, and reveal a potential mechanism for the co-ordinated regulation of energy metabolism in this tissue. Previous evidence suggests that AMPK activates fatty acid oxidation, which provides a source of ATP, following continued muscle contraction. The novel regulation of AMPK described here provides a mechanism by which energy supply can meet energy demand following the utilization of the immediate energy reserve provided by the creatine kinase-phosphocreatine system.     

Development of protein kinase activators: AMPK as a target in metabolic disorders and cancer

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a cellular energy sensor activated by metabolic stresses that either inhibit ATP synthesis or accelerate ATP consumption. Activation of AMPK in response to an increase in the cellular AMP:ATP ratio results in inhibition of ATP-consuming processes such as gluconeogenesis and fatty acid synthesis, while stimulating ATP-generating processes, including fatty acid oxidation. These alterations in lipid and glucose metabolism would be expected to ameliorate the pathogenesis of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Recently, AMPK has also been identified as a potential target for cancer prevention and/or treatment. Cell growth and proliferation are energetically demanding, and AMPK may act as an “energy checkpoint” that permits growth and proliferation only when energy reserves are sufficient. Thus, activators of AMPK could have potential as novel therapeutics both for metabolic disorders and for cancer, which together constitute two of the most prevalent groups of diseases worldwide.     

AMP-activated protein kinase: balancing the scales

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the central component of a protein kinase cascade that plays a key role in the regulation of energy control. AMPK is activated in response to an increase in the ratio of AMP:ATP within the cell. Activation requires phosphorylation of threonine 172 within the catalytic subunit of AMPK by an upstream kinase. The identity of the upstream kinase in the cascade remained frustratingly elusive for many years, but was recently identified as LKB1, a kinase that is inactivated in a rare hereditary form of cancer called Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Once activated, AMPK initiates a series of responses that are aimed at restoring the energy balance within the cell. ATP-consuming, anabolic pathways, such as fatty acid synthesis and protein synthesis are switched-off, whereas ATP-generating, catabolic pathways, such as fatty acid oxidation and glycolysis, are switched-on. More recent studies have indicated, that AMPK plays an important role in the regulation of whole body energy metabolism. The adipocyte-derived hormones, leptin and adiponectin, activate AMPK in peripheral tissues, including skeletal muscle and liver, increasing energy expenditure. In the hypothalamus, AMPK is inhibited by leptin and insulin, hormones which suppress feeding, whilst ghrelin, a hormone that increases food intake, activates AMPK. Furthermore, direct pharmacological activation of AMPK in the hypothalamus by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribose increases food intake in rats, demonstrating that AMPK plays a direct role in the regulation of feeding. Taken together these findings indicate that AMPK has a pivotal role in regulating pathways that control both energy expenditure and energy intake.     

Biochemical regulation of mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase activity by NAD and NADH

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) serves as an energy-sensing protein kinase that is activated by a variety of metabolic stresses that lower cellular energy levels. When activated, AMPK modulates a network of metabolic pathways that result in net increased substrate oxidation, generation of reduced nucleotide cofactors, and production of ATP. AMPK is activated by a high AMP:ATP ratio and phosphorylation on threonine 172 by an upstream kinase. Recent studies suggest that mechanisms that do not involve changes in adenine nucleotide levels can activate AMPK. Another sensor of the metabolic state of the cell is the NAD/NADH redox potential. To test whether the redox state might have an effect on AMPK activity, we examined the effect of beta-NAD and NADH on this enzyme. The recombinant T172D-AMPK, which was mutated to mimic the phosphorylated state, was activated by beta-NAD in a dose-dependent manner, whereas NADH inhibited its activity. We explored the effect of NADH on AMPK by systematically varying the concentrations of ATP, NADH, peptide substrate, and AMP. Based on our findings and established activation of AMPK by AMP, we proposed a model for the regulation by NADH. Key features of this model are as follows. (a) NADH has an apparent competitive behavior with respect to ATP and uncompetitive behavior with respect to AMP resulting in improved binding constant in the presence of AMP, and (b) the binding of the peptide is not significantly altered by NADH. In the absence of AMP, the binding constant of NADH becomes higher than physiologically relevant. We conclude that AMPK senses both components of cellular energy status, redox potential, and phosphorylation potential.     

AMPK, an active player in the control of metabolism

Impairment in the regulation of energy homeostasis and imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure lead to many metabolic disorders and diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is considered as a "fuel-gauge" in the cell and plays a key role in the regulation of energy metabolism. Activated by an increase in the AMP/ATP ratio, AMPK switches on catabolic pathways such as fatty acid oxidation and switches off anabolic pathways such as lipogenesis or gluconeogenesis. Insulin-sensitizing adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) and anti-diabetic drugs (thiazolidinediones and biguanides) are acting in part through the activation of AMPK. More recent findings indicate that AMPK plays also a major role in the control of whole body energy homeostasis by integrating, at the hypothalamus level, nutrient and hormonal signals that regulate food intake and energy expenditure. AMPK provides therefore a potential target for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes.     

Low levels of AMPK promote epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in lung cancer primarily through HDAC4‐ and HDAC5‐mediated metabolic reprogramming

AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) serves as a “supermetabolic regulator” that helps maintain cellular energy homeostasis. However, the role of AMPK in glucose metabolism reprogramming in lung cancer remains unclear. Here, our study shows that low AMPK expression correlates with metastasis and clinicopathologic parameters of non–small‐cell lung cancer. Low AMPK significantly enhances the Warburg effect in HBE and A549 cells, which in turn induces the expression of mesenchymal markers and enhances their invasion and migration. At the mechanistic level, low AMPK up‐regulates HK2 expression and glycolysis levels through HDAC4 and HDAC5. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that low AMPK‐induced metabolism can promote epithelial‐mesenchymal transition progression in normal bronchial epithelial cells and lung cancer cells, and increase the risk for tumour metastasis.