AMP-activated protein kinase activity and glucose uptake in rat skeletal muscle

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been hypothesized to mediate contraction and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-beta -D-ribonucleoside (AICAR)-induced increases in glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether treadmill exercise and isolated muscle contractions in rat skeletal muscle increase the activity of the AMPK alpha1 and AMPK alpha2 catalytic subunits in a dose-dependent manner and to evaluate the effects of the putative AMPK inhibitors adenine 9-beta -D-arabinofuranoside (ara-A), 8-bromo-AMP, and iodotubercidin on AMPK activity and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3-MG) uptake. There were dose-dependent increases in AMPK alpha2 activity and 3-MG uptake in rat epitrochlearis muscles with treadmill running exercise but no effect of exercise on AMPK alpha1 activity. Tetanic contractions of isolated epitrochlearis muscles in vitro significantly increased the activity of both AMPK isoforms in a dose-dependent manner and at a similar rate compared with increases in 3-MG uptake. In isolated muscles, the putative AMPK inhibitors ara-A, 8-bromo-AMP, and iodotubercidin fully inhibited AICAR-stimulated AMPK alpha2 activity and 3-MG uptake but had little effect on AMPK alpha1 activity, in contrast, these compounds had absent or minimal effects on contraction-stimulated AMPK alpha1 and -alpha2 activity and 3-MG uptake. Although the AMPK alpha1 and -alpha2 isoforms are activated during tetanic muscle contractions in vitro, in fast-glycolytic fibers, the activation of AMPK alpha2-containing complexes may be more important in regulating exercise-mediated skeletal muscle metabolism in vivo. Development of new compounds will be required to study contraction regulation of AMPK by pharmacological inhibition.