Inhibition of AMPK activity in response to insulin in adipocytes: involvement of AMPK pS485, PDEs, and cellular energy levels.

Insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes has been shown to be associated with decreased de novo fatty acid (FA) synthesis in adipose tissue. It is known that insulin can acutely stimulate FA synthesis in adipocytes; however, the mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear. The rate-limiting step in FA synthesis is catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), known to be regulated through inhibitory phosphorylation at S79 by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

AMPK activation by A-769662 and 991 does not affect catecholamine-induced lipolysis in human adipocytes.

Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is considered an attractive strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Favorable metabolic effects of AMPK activation are mainly observed in skeletal muscle and liver tissue, whereas the effects in human adipose tissue are only poorly understood. Previous studies, which largely employed the AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR), suggest an antilipolytic role of AMPK in adipocytes.

Transcriptional regulation of the miR-212/miR-132 cluster in insulin-secreting β-cells by cAMP-regulated transcriptional co-activator 1 and salt-inducible kinases.

MicroRNAs are central players in the control of insulin secretion, but their transcriptional regulation is poorly understood. Our aim was to investigate cAMP-mediated transcriptional regulation of the miR-212/miR-132 cluster and involvement of further upstream proteins in insulin secreting β-cells. cAMP induced by forskolin+IBMX or GLP-1 caused increased expression of miR-212/miR-132, and elevated phosphorylation of cAMP-response-element-binding-protein (CREB)/Activating-transcription-factor-1 (ATF1) and Salt-Inducible-Kinases (SIKs).

ApoA-I Milano stimulates lipolysis in adipose cells independently of cAMP/PKA activation.

ApoA-I, the main protein component of HDL, is suggested to be involved in metabolic homeostasis. We examined the effects of Milano, a naturally occurring ApoA-I variant, about which little mechanistic information is available. Remarkably, high-fat-fed mice treated with Milano displayed a rapid weight loss greater than ApoA-I WT treated mice, and a significantly reduced adipose tissue mass, without an inflammatory response.

LKB1 signalling attenuates early events of adipogenesis and responds to adipogenic cues.

cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) is required for the induction of adipogenic transcription factors such as CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBPs). Interestingly, it is known from studies in other tissues that LKB1 and its substrates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and salt-inducible kinases (SIKs) negatively regulate gene expression by phosphorylating the CREB co-activator CRTC2 and class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs), which results in their exclusion from the nucleus where they co-activate or inhibit their targets. In this study, we show that AMPK/SIK signalling is acutely attenuated during adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, which coincides with the dephosphorylation and nuclear translocation of CRTC2 and HDAC4.

cAMP-elevation mediated by β-adrenergic stimulation inhibits salt-inducible kinase (SIK) 3 activity in adipocytes.

Salt-inducible kinase (SIK) 3 is a virtually unstudied, ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine kinase, belonging to the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-related family of kinases, all of which are regulated by LKB1 phosphorylation of a threonine residue in their activation (T)-loops. Findings in adrenal cells have revealed a role for cAMP in the regulation of SIK1, and recent findings suggest that insulin can regulate an SIK isoform in Drosophila. As cAMP has important functions in adipocytes, mainly in the regulation of lipolysis, we have evaluated a potential role for cAMP, as well as for insulin, in the regulation of SIK3 in these cells.

Survival of pancreatic beta cells is partly controlled by a TCF7L2-p53-p53INP1-dependent pathway.

The transcription factor T-cell factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) confers type 2 diabetes risk mainly through impaired insulin secretion, perturbed incretin effect and reduced beta-cell survival. The aim of this study was to identify the molecular mechanism through which TCF7L2 influences beta-cell survival. TCF7L2 target genes in INS-1 cells were identified using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation.

Protein kinase B activity is required for the effects of insulin on lipid metabolism in adipocytes.

Protein kinase B (PKB) is known to mediate a number of biological responses to insulin and growth factors, its role in glucose uptake being one of the most extensively studied. In this work, we have employed a recently described allosteric inhibitor of PKB, Akti, to clarify the role of PKB in lipid metabolism in adipocytes-a subject that has received less attention. Pretreatment of primary rat and 3T3L1 adipocytes with Akti resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of PKB phosphorylation and activation in response to insulin, without affecting upstream insulin signaling [insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate (IRS)] or the insulin-induced phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent activation of the ERK/p90 ribosomal kinase (RSK) pathway.