title: Metabolic syndrome: adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and malonyl coenzyme A.
abstract: The metabolic syndrome can be defined as a state of metabolic dysregulation characterized by insulin resistance, central obesity, and a predisposition to type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, premature atherosclerosis, and other diseases. An increasing body of evidence has linked the metabolic syndrome to abnormalities in lipid metabolism that ultimately lead to cellular dysfunction. We review here the hypothesis that, in many instances, the cause of these lipid abnormalities could be a dysregulation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/malonyl coenzyme A (CoA) fuel-sensing and signaling mechanism. Such dysregulation could be reflected by isolated increases in malonyl CoA or by concurrent changes in malonyl CoA and AMPK, both of which would alter intracellular fatty acid partitioning. The possibility is also raised that pharmacological agents and other factors that activate AMPK and/or decrease malonyl CoA could be therapeutic targets.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA. nrude@bumc.bu.edu
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Ruderman
authors.forename: Asish K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Saha
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D000818:Animals; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008316:Malonyl Coenzyme A / Q000378:metabolism*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology*; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D008316:Malonyl Coenzyme A; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases