Scopus ID: 55973488600

Muscle insulin sensitivity is defined by the concentration of insulin, which induces a half maximal biological response. With increased insulin sensitivity, the concentration of insulin needed to induce a half maximal response is reduced. Skeletal muscle from healthy and type 2 diabetic individuals display a marked increase in insulin sensitivity in a prolonged period after a single bout of exercise. Latest research from our group implies that AMPK is able to regulate muscle insulin sensitivity. Thus, the working hypothesis is that activation of AMPK during exercise is a mediator of insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle as it per se affects proteins involved in regulating glucose transport as well as glycogen synthesis both of which are associated with increased insulin sensitivity at the cellular level. This hypothesis will be tested using muscle-specific AMPK alfa double knockout mice, in which both of the two catalytic subunits of AMPK have been deleted in skeletal muscle only.