Prior AICAR stimulation increases insulin sensitivity in mouse skeletal muscle in an AMPK-dependent manner

Rasmus Kjøbsted, Jonas Thue Treebak, Joachim Fentz, Louise Lantier, Benoit Viollet, Jesper Bratz Birk, Peter Schjerling, Marie Björnholm, Juleen R Zierath, Jørgen Wojtaszewski

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

109 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Acute exercise increases glucose uptake in skeletal muscle by an insulin-independent mechanism. In the period after exercise insulin sensitivity to increase glucose uptake is enhanced. The molecular mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon are poorly understood, but appear to involve an increased cell surface abundance of GLUT4. While increased proximal insulin signaling does not seem to mediate this effect, elevated phosphorylation of TBC1D4, a downstream target of both insulin (Akt) and exercise (AMPK) signaling, appears to play a role. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether AMPK activation increases skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. We found that prior AICAR stimulation of wild-type mouse muscle increases insulin sensitivity to stimulate glucose uptake. However, this was not observed in mice with reduced or ablated AMPK activity in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, prior AICAR stimulation enhanced insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of TBC1D4 at Thr(649) and Ser(711) in wild-type muscle only. These phosphorylation events were positively correlated with glucose uptake. Our results provide evidence to support that AMPK is sufficient to increase skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. Moreover, TBC1D4 phosphorylation may facilitate the effect of prior AMPK activation to enhance glucose uptake in response to insulin.

Original languageEnglish
JournalDiabetes
Volume64
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)2042-2055
Number of pages14
ISSN0012-1797
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

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