Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in the metabolic syndrome and in heart disease.
Obesity, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome are disorders of energy balance, which the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates both at the cellular and whole body levels. AMPK switches cells from an anabolic state where nutrients are taken up and stored, to a catabolic state where they are oxidized. Drugs that activate AMPK indirectly (metformin and thiazolidinediones) are now the mainstay of treatment for type 2 diabetes, but more direct AMPK activators may have fewer side effects. However, activating mutations in AMPK can cause heart disease, and it will be important to look for adverse effects in the heart.
Hardie
D Grahame
DG
Division of Molecular Physiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland, UK. d.g.hardie@dundee.ac.uk
D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D000818:Animals; D020536:Enzyme Activators / Q000494:pharmacology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology*; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
D020536:Enzyme Activators; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases