title: Advances in the research of AMPK and its subunit genes.
abstract: AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric complex composed of three subunits and is the core energy sensor of the cell. The AMPK activity is important for survival during periods of stress and starvation and also has implications in type II diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, longevity and cancer, etc. The activation of AMPK is triggered through binding of Adenosine Monophosphate Activated Proteins (AMP) to the Bateman domains of the gamma subunit, leading to increased phosphorylation of the threonine 172 on the alpha subunit by inducing allosteric activation and inhibiting dephosphorylation. AMPK and its subunits have been the focuses of many researchers dealing with genetic and metabolic issues. The study makes a comprehensive review on the structure, function, distribution, enzyme activity, the genetic mutation and other aspects of AMPK and its subunit genes, with the aim to outline main aspects of present researches on AMPK and its subunits in animal genetics.
authors: Faculty of Scientific and Research, Fuyang Normal College, China.
authors: W Y
authors: WY
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Animal Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, China.
authors: R S
authors: RS
authors: Jiang
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D021122:Protein Subunits; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D021122:Protein Subunits; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases