The Caenorhabditis elegans AMP-activated protein kinase AAK-2 is phosphorylated by LKB1 and is required for resistance to oxidative stress and for normal motility and foraging behavior.
AAK-2 is one of two alpha isoforms of the AMP-activated protein kinase in Caenorhabditis elegans and is involved in life span maintenance, stress responses, and germ cell cycle arrest upon dauer entry. We found that AAK-2 was phosphorylated at threonine 243 in response to paraquat treatment and that this phosphorylation depends on PAR-4, the C. elegans LKB1 homologue. Both aak-2 mutation and par-4 knockdown increased the sensitivity of C. elegans worms to paraquat, and the double deficiency did not further increase sensitivity, indicating that aak-2 and par-4 act in a linear pathway. Both mutations also slowed body bending during locomotion and failed to reduce head oscillation in response to anterior touch. Consistent with this abnormal motility and behavioral response, expression of the AAK-2::green fluorescent protein fusion protein was observed in the ventral cord, some neurons, body wall muscle, pharynx, vulva, somatic gonad, and excretory cell. Our study suggests that AMPK can influence the behavior of C. elegans worms in addition to its well known function in metabolic control.
Lee
Hyojin
H
Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
Cho
Jeong Soo
JS
Lambacher
Nils
N
Lee
Jieun
J
Lee
Se-Jin
SJ
Lee
Tae Hoon
TH
Gartner
Anton
A
Koo
Hyeon-Sook
HS
D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C097238:PAR-3 protein, C elegans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C510541:AAK-2 protein, C elegans; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases