Embryonic expression of AMPK γ subunits and the identification of a novel γ2 transcript variant in adult heart.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the key sensor and regulator of cellular energy status, is a heterotrimeric enzyme with multiple isoforms for each subunit (α1/α 2; β1/β2; γ1/γ2/γ3). Mutations in PRKAG2, which encodes the γ2 regulatory subunit, cause a cardiomyopathy characterized by hypertrophy and conduction abnormalities. The two reported PRKAG2 transcript variants, γ2-short and γ2-long (encoding 328 and 569 amino acids respectively), are both widely expressed in adult tissues.