AMP-activated protein kinase mediates ischemic glucose uptake and prevents postischemic cardiac dysfunction, apoptosis, and injury

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an important regulator of diverse cellular pathways in the setting of energetic stress.Whether AMPK plays a critical role in the metabolic and functional responses to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion remains uncertain.We examined the cardiac consequences of long-term inhibition of AMPK activity in transgenic mice expressing a kinase dead (KD) form of the enzyme.The KD mice had normal fractional shortening and no heart failure, cardiac hypertrophy, or fibrosis, although the in vivo left ventricular (LV) dP/dt was lower than that in WT hearts.During low-flow ischemia and postischemic reperfusion in vitro, KD hearts failed to augment glucose uptake and glycolysis,…

• HH
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• AH
  American Heart Association
• YU
  Yale University
• DA
  Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
• RA
  Raymond and Beverly Sackler Institute for Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Yale University
• UP
  U.S. Public Health Service

  Award: U24 DK59635