-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a meta-bolic stress sensor present in all eukaryotes. A dominant missense mutation (R225Q) in pig PRKAG3, encoding the muscle-specific ␥3 isoform, causes a marked increase in glycogen content. To determine the functional role of the AMPK ␥3 isoform, we generated transgenic mice with skeletal muscle-specific expression of wild type or mutant (225Q) mouse ␥3 as well as Prkag3 knockout mice. Glycogen resynthesis after exercise was impaired in AMPK ␥3 knock-out mice and markedly enhanced in transgenic mutant mice. An AMPK activator failed to increase skeletal muscle glucose uptake in AMPK ␥3 knock-out mice, whereas contraction effects were preserved. When placed on a high fat diet, transgenic mutant mice but not knock-out mice were protected against excessive triglyceride accumulation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Transfection experiments reveal the R225Q mutation is associated with higher basal AMPK activity and diminished AMP dependence. Our results validate the muscle-specific AMPK ␥3 isoform as a therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of insulin resistance.AMPK 1 is a heterotrimeric serine/threonine protein kinase composed of a catalytic ␣ subunit and non-catalytic ␤ and ␥ subunits (1, 2). The mammalian genome contains seven AMPK genes encoding two ␣, two ␤, and three ␥ isoforms. AMPK signaling is elicited by cellular stresses that deplete ATP (and consequently elevate AMP) by either inhibiting ATP production (e.g. hypoxia) or accelerating ATP consumption (e.g. muscle contraction). AMPK is activated allosterically by AMP and through phosphorylation of Thr 172 in the ␣ subunit by an upstream AMPK kinase, the tumor-suppressor protein kinase LKB1 (3, 4). AMPK is likely to be important for diverse functions in many cell types, but particular interest has been focused on elucidating the role of AMPK in the regulation of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle (5-10). AMPK activity has been correlated with an increase in glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation and an inhibition of glycogen synthase activity and fatty acid synthesis. Exercise, as well as skeletal muscle contractions in vitro, leads to AMPK activation. Pharmacological activation of AMPK also can be achieved using 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-␤-D-ribonucleoside (AICAR). Once taken up by the cell, AICAR is phosphorylated to 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside monophosphate (ZMP) and mimics effects of AMP on AMPK (1, 2). AMPK function is closely related to glycogen storage. AMPK phosphorylates glycogen synthase in vitro (11) and co-immunoprecipitates with glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase from skeletal muscle (12). Mutations of the ␥3 or ␥2 subunit, respectively, affect glycogen storage in pigs (13, 14) or glycogen storage associated with cardiac abnormalities in humans (15). The recent identification of a glycogen-binding domain in the AMPK ␤1 subunit provides a molecular relationship between AMPK and glycogen (16,17). The formation of heterotrimers appears to be...

Expression patterns of the three isoforms of the regulatory gamma-subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) were determined in various tissues from adult humans, mice, and rats, as well as in human primary muscle cells. Real-time PCR-based quantification of mRNA showed similar expression patterns in the three species and a good correlation with protein expression in mice and rats. The gamma3-isoform appeared highly specific to skeletal muscle, whereas gamma1 and gamma2 showed broad tissue distributions. Moreover, the proportion of white, type IIb fibers in the mouse and rat muscle samples, as indicated by real-time PCR quantification of Atp1b2 mRNA, showed a strong positive correlation with the expression of gamma3. In samples of white skeletal muscle, gamma3 clearly appeared to be the most abundant gamma-isoform. Differentiation of human primary muscle cells from myoblasts into multinucleated myotubes was accompanied by upregulation of gamma3 mRNA expression, whereas levels of gamma1 and gamma2 remained largely unchanged. However, even in these cultured myotubes, gamma2 was the most highly expressed isoform, indicating a considerable difference compared with adult skeletal muscle. Immunoblot analysis of mouse gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscle extracts precipitated with a gamma3-specific antibody showed that gamma3 was exclusively associated with the alpha2- and beta2-subunit isoforms. The observation that the AMPKgamma3 isoform is expressed primarily in white skeletal muscle, in which it is the predominant gamma-isoform, strongly suggests that gamma3 has a key role in this tissue.

Objective-We investigated the potential role of ADAMTS-1 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motif type I) in atherogenesis. Methods and Results-ADAMTS-1 is expressed at the highest levels in the aorta when compared with other human tissues examined. Immunolocalization studies in human aorta and coronary artery indicate that ADAMTS-1 expression is mainly seen at low levels in the medial layer, but upregulated in the intima when plaque is present. We found that ADAMTS-1 mRNA levels are significantly higher in proliferating/migrating cultured primary aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) compared with resting/confluent cells. Using the mouse carotid artery flow cessation model, we show that there are differences in vessel remodeling in ADAMTS-1 transgenic/apoE-deficient mice compared with apoE deficiency alone, particularly a significant increase in intimal hyperplasia. We show that ADAMTS-1 can cleave the large versican containing proteoglycan population purified from cultured human aortic VSMCs. Finally, using versican peptide substrates, we show data suggesting that ADAMTS-1 cleaves versican at multiple sites. Conclusion-We See page 12Early in atherogenesis, VSMCs from the media are thought to migrate into the intima and contribute to the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Although what initially triggers these events is not known, it is thought that proteases released by VSMCs degrade the matrix proteins in the intima, particularly the main proteoglycan of the arterial intima versican, making the intima more permissive for invasion by VSMCs. One recently discovered family of metalloproteases, the ADAMTS family, might play a key role in atherogenesis by modulating the degradation of versican and possibly other proteoglycans.The first member of this family to be identified is ADAMTS-1. 3,4 It has been observed that ADAMTS-1 mRNA is upregulated substantially in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells under shear stress, suggesting regulation during flow-dependent vascular remodeling. 5 ADAMTS-1 has been shown to cleave the proteoglycan versican, which is expressed by VSMCs. 6 -8 Versican can exist in 4 isoforms (V0, V1, V2, and V3), depending on alternative splicing of the chondroitin sulfate containing glycosaminoglycan domains. V0 versican contains all possible domains, whereas the glycosaminoglycan-alpha and glycosaminoglycan-beta domains are spliced out in the V1 and V2 versican isoforms, respectively. 7 ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-4 have been shown to cleave V1/V0 versican at the Glu 441 -Ala 442 /Glu 1428 -Ala 1429 bond and the product of this cleavage was shown to be present in human atherosclerotic plaques by immunohistochemistry using neoepitope antibodies. 8 ADAMTS-1 has also been shown to have a role in matrix remodeling during ovulation in mice, which involves dissolution of connective matrix and cellular layers. A. ADAMTS-1-deficient mice displayed impaired ovulation, and the authors proposed that this was at least partially caused by...

bAntimicrobial peptides have recently emerged as a promising new group to be evaluated in the therapeutic intervention of infectious diseases. This study evaluated the anti-infectious effect of the short, synthetic, broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide PXL150 in a mouse model of staphylococcal surgical site infections. We found that administration of PXL150, formulated in an aqueous solution or in a hydroxypropyl cellulose gel, significantly reduced the bacterial counts in the wound compared with placebo treatment, warranting further investigations of the potential of this peptide as a novel local treatment of microbial infections.

No abstract