Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Malonyl-CoA is an allosteric inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) I, the enzyme that controls the transfer of long-chain fatty acyl (LCFA)-CoAs into the mitochondria where they are oxidized. In rat skeletal muscle, the formation of malonyl-CoA is regulated acutely (in minutes) by changes in the activity of the beta-isoform of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCbeta). This can occur by at least two mechanisms: one involving cytosolic citrate, an allosteric activator of ACCbeta and a precursor of its substrate cytosolic acetyl-CoA, and the other involving changes in ACCbeta phosphorylation. Increases in cytosolic citrate leading to an increase in the concentration of malonyl-CoA occur when muscle is presented with insulin and glucose, or when it is made inactive by denervation, in keeping with a diminished need for fatty acid oxidation in these situations. Conversely, during exercise, when the need of the muscle cell for fatty acid oxidation is increased, decreases in the ATP/AMP and/or creatine phosphate-to-creatine ratios activate an isoform of an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which phosphorylates ACCbeta and inhibits both its basal activity and activation by citrate. The central role of cytosolic citrate links this malonyl-CoA regulatory mechanism to the glucose-fatty acid cycle concept of Randle et al. (P. J. Randle, P. B. Garland. C. N. Hales, and E. A. Newsholme. Lancet 1: 785-789, 1963) and to a mechanism by which glucose might autoregulate its own use. A similar citrate-mediated malonyl-CoA regulatory mechanism appears to exist in other tissues, including the pancreatic beta-cell, the heart, and probably the central nervous system. It is our hypothesis that by altering the cytosolic concentrations of LCFA-CoA and diacylglycerol, and secondarily the activity of one or more protein kinase C isoforms, changes in malonyl-CoA provide a link between fuel metabolism and signal transduction in these cells. It is also our hypothesis that dysregulation of the malonyl-CoA regulatory mechanism, if it leads to sustained increases in the concentrations of malonyl-CoA and cytosolic LCFA-CoA, could play a key role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in muscle. That it may contribute to abnormalities associated with the insulin resistance syndrome in other tissues and the development of obesity has also been suggested. Studies are clearly needed to test these hypotheses and to explore the notion that exercise and some pharmacological agents that increase insulin sensitivity act via effects on malonyl-CoA and/or cytosolic LCFA-CoA.
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PMID:Malonyl-CoA, fuel sensing, and insulin resistance. 988 45

A number of studies have demonstrated that insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle plays a pivotal role in the insulin resistance associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. A decrease in GLUT4 translocation from the intracellular pool to the plasma membranes in skeletal muscles has been implicated as a possible cause of insulin resistance. Herein, we examined the effects of an insulin-sensitizing drug, troglitazone (TGZ), on glucose uptake and the translocation of GLUT4 in L6 myotubes. The prolonged exposure (24 h) of L6 myotubes to TGZ (10(-5) mol/l) caused a substantial increase in the 2-deoxy-[3H]D-glucose (2-DG) uptake without changing the total amount of the glucose transporters GLUT4, GLUT1, and GLUT3. The TGZ-induced 2-DG uptake was completely abolished by cytochalasin-B (10 micromol/l). The ability of TGZ to translocate GLUT4 from light microsomes to the crude plasma membranes was greater than that of insulin. Both cycloheximide treatment (3.5 x 10(-6) mol/l) and the removal of TGZ by washing reversed the 2-DG uptake to the basal level. Moreover, insulin did not enhance the TGZ-induced 2-DG uptake additively. The TGZ-induced 2-DG uptake was only partially reversed by wortmannin to 80%, and TGZ did not change the expression and the phosphorylation of protein kinase B; the expression of protein kinase C (PKC)-lambda, PKC-beta2, and PKC-zeta; or 5'AMP-activated protein kinase activity. a-Tocopherol, which has a molecular structure similar to that of TGZ, did not increase 2-DG uptake. We conclude that the glucose transport in L6 myotubes exposed to TGZ for 24 h is the result of an increased translocation of GLUT4. The present results imply that the effects of troglitazone on GLUT4 translocation may include a new mechanism for improving glucose transport in skeletal muscle.
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PMID:Troglitazone induces GLUT4 translocation in L6 myotubes. 1133 13

There is good reason to believe that regular moderate alcohol consumption promotes insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle; conceivably, this benefits the protective effects of moderate drinking on vascular health and risk for obesity and diabetes. The mechanism responsible for alcohol's insulin-sensitizing activity remains obscure. As a working hypothesis, it is proposed that metabolism of acetate in peripheral tissues generates sufficient levels of AMP to temporarily stimulate the AMP-activated protein kinase, which in turn induces the synthesis of certain long-lived proteins that act to boost insulin sensitivity and possibly aid the efficiency of fat oxidation as well.
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PMID:Does regular ethanol consumption promote insulin sensitivity and leanness by stimulating AMP-activated protein kinase? 1151 37

Insulin resistance is a key pathophysiologic feature of obesity and type 2 diabetes and is associated with other human diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and polycystic ovarian disease. Yet, the specific cellular defects that cause insulin resistance are not precisely known. Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are important signaling molecules that mediate insulin action in insulin-sensitive cells. Recently, serine phosphorylation of IRS proteins has been implicated in attenuating insulin signaling and is thought to be a potential mechanism for insulin resistance. However, in vivo increased serine phosphorylation of IRS proteins in insulin-resistant animal models has not been reported before. In the present study, we have confirmed previous findings in both JCR:LA-cp and Zucker fatty rats, two genetically unrelated insulin-resistant rodent models, that an enhanced serine kinase activity in liver is associated with insulin resistance. The enhanced serine kinase specifically phosphorylates the conserved Ser(789) residue in IRS-1, which is in a sequence motif separate from the ones for MAPK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, glycogen-synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), Akt, phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, or casein kinase. It is similar to the phosphorylation motif for AMP-activated protein kinase, but the serine kinase in the insulin-resistant animals was shown not to be an AMP-activated protein kinase, suggesting a potential novel serine kinase. Using a specific antibody against Ser(P)(789) peptide of IRS-1, we then demonstrated for the first time a striking increase of Ser(789)-phosphorylated IRS-1 in livers of insulin-resistant rodent models, indicating enhanced serine kinase activity in vivo. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that unknown serine kinase activity and Ser(789) phosphorylation of IRS-1 may play an important role in attenuating insulin signaling in insulin-resistant animal models.
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PMID:In vivo phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 at serine 789 by a novel serine kinase in insulin-resistant rodents. 1200 86

The insulin resistance syndrome is characterized by several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Chronic chemical activation of AMP-activated protein kinase by the adenosine analog 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta -D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) has been shown to augment insulin action, upregulate mitochondrial enzymes in skeletal muscles, and decrease the content of intra-abdominal fat. Furthermore, acute AICAR exposure has been found to reduce sterol and fatty acid synthesis in rat hepatocytes incubated in vitro as well as suppress endogenous glucose production in rats under euglycemic clamp conditions. To investigate whether chronic AICAR administration, in addition to the beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity, is capable of improving other phenotypes associated with the insulin resistance syndrome, obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats (n = 6) exhibiting insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension were subcutaneously injected with AICAR (0.5 mg/g body wt) daily for 7 weeks. Obese control rats were either pair-fed (PF) (n = 6) or ad libitum-fed (AL) (n = 6). Lean Zucker rats (fa/-) (n = 8) served as a reference group. AICAR administration significantly reduced plasma triglyceride levels (P < 0.01 for AICAR vs. AL, and P = 0.05 for AICAR vs. PF) and free fatty acids (P < 0.01 for AICAR vs. AL, and P < 0.05 for AICAR vs. PF) and increased HDL cholesterol levels (P < 0.01 for AICAR vs. AL and PF). AICAR treatment also lowered systolic blood pressure by 14.6 +/- 4.3 mmHg (P < 0.05), and AICAR-treated animals exhibited a tendency toward decreased intra-abdominal fat content. Furthermore, AICAR administration normalized the oral glucose tolerance test and decreased fasting concentrations of glucose and insulin close to the level of the lean animals. Finally, in line with previous findings, AICAR treatment was also found to enhance GLUT4 protein expression and to increase maximally insulin-stimulated glucose transport in primarily white fast-twitch muscles. Our data provide strong evidence that long-term administration of AICAR improves glucose tolerance, improves the lipid profile, and reduces systolic blood pressure in an insulin-resistant animal model. The present study gives additional support to the hypothesis that AMPK activation might be a potential future pharmacological strategy for treating the insulin resistance syndrome.
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PMID:Long-term AICAR administration reduces metabolic disturbances and lowers blood pressure in rats displaying features of the insulin resistance syndrome. 1208 50

Glucose transport can be activated in skeletal muscle in response to insulin via activation of phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase and in response to contractions or hypoxia, presumably via activation of 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). We determined the effects of insulin and muscle contraction/hypoxia on PI 3-kinase, AMPK, and glucose transport activity in epitrochlearis skeletal muscle from insulin-resistant Zucker (fa/ fa) rats. Insulin-stimulated glucose transport in isolated skeletal muscle was reduced 47% in obese versus lean rats, with a parallel 42% reduction in tyrosine-associated PI 3-kinase activity. Contraction and hypoxia elicited normal responses for glucose transport in skeletal muscle from insulin-resistant obese rats. Isoform-specific AMPK activity was measured in skeletal muscle in response to insulin, contraction, or hypoxia. Contraction increased AMPKalpha1 activity 2.3-fold in lean rats, whereas no effect was noted in obese rats. Hypoxia increased AMPKalpha1 activity to a similar extent (more than sixfold) in lean and obese rats. Regardless of genotype, contraction, and hypoxia, each increased AMPKalpha2 activity more than fivefold, whereas insulin did not alter either AMPKalpha1 or -alpha2 activity in skeletal muscle. In conclusion, obesity-related insulin resistance is associated with an isoform-specific impairment in AMPKalpha1 in response to contraction. However, this impairment does not appear to affect contraction-stimulated glucose transport. Activation of AMPKalpha2 in response to muscle contraction/ exercise is associated with a parallel and normal increase in glucose transport in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle.
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PMID:Isoform-specific regulation of 5' AMP-activated protein kinase in skeletal muscle from obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats in response to contraction. 1219 62

The Snf1/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family plays fundamental roles in cellular responses to metabolic stress in eukaryotes. In humans, AMPK regulates lipid and glucose metabolism and has been implicated in such metabolic disorders as diabetes and obesity and in cardiac abnormalities. Snf1 and AMPK are the downstream components of kinase cascades, but the upstream kinase(s) have remained elusive. We have here identified three yeast kinases, Pak1p, Tos3p, and Elm1p, that activate Snf1 kinase in vivo. Triple deletion of the cognate genes causes a Snf- mutant phenotype and abolishes Snf1 catalytic activity. All three kinases phosphorylate recombinant Snf1p on the activation-loop threonine. Moreover, Tos3p phosphorylates mammalian AMPK on the equivalent residue and activates the enzyme, suggesting functional conservation of the upstream kinases between yeast and mammals. We further show that the closely related mammalian LKB1 kinase, which is associated with Peutz-Jeghers cancer-susceptibility syndrome, phosphorylates and activates AMPK in vitro. Thus, the identification of the yeast upstream kinases should facilitate identification of the corresponding, physiologically important mammalian upstream kinases.
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PMID:Activation of yeast Snf1 and mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase by upstream kinases. 1284 91

The obesity crisis in the United States has been associated with an alarming increase in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MSX) disease cluster. Here we review evidence that the MSX reflects a failure of a system of intracellular lipid homeostasis that prevents lipotoxicity in the organs of overnourished individuals by confining the lipid overload to cells specifically designed to store large quantities of surplus calories, the white adipocytes. Normally, early in obesity, adipocytes increase leptin and adiponectin secretion, hormones that enhance oxidation of surplus liquids in nonadipose tissues by activating AMP-activated protein kinase and reducing the activity and expression of lipogenic enzymes. These events combine to lower malonyl coenzyme A. Deficiency of and/or unresponsiveness to leptin prevents these protective events and results in ectopic accumulation of lipids. Increased de novo ceramide formation is probably the most damaging lipid and is a cause of lipoapoptosis, abetted by a decline in tissue Bcl-2. Pancreatic beta-cells and myocardiocytes are cellular victims of the process, leading to non-insulin-dependent diabetes and lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. The MSX is particularly prevalent in visceral obesity, probably because visceral adipocytes make less leptin than sc adipocytes. Cushing's syndrome, the lipodystrophy associated with protease inhibitor therapy of AIDS, polycystic ovarian disease, as well as diet-induced visceral obesity, all have a high waist/hip ratio, and all exhibit MSX. Increased lipid content in the heart and skeletal muscle organs of such patients is now under study.
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PMID:Minireview: weapons of lean body mass destruction: the role of ectopic lipids in the metabolic syndrome. 1296 11

Inactivating mutations in the protein kinase LKB1 lead to a dominantly inherited cancer in humans termed Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. The role of LKB1 is unclear, and only one target for LKB1 has been identified in vivo [3]. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the downstream component of a protein kinase cascade that plays a pivotal role in energy homeostasis. AMPK may have a role in protecting the body from metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiac hypertrophy. We previously reported the identification of three protein kinases (Elm1, Pak1, and Tos3 [9]) that lie upstream of Snf1, the yeast homologue of AMPK. LKB1 shares sequence similarity with Elm1, Pak1, and Tos3, and we demonstrated that LKB1 phosphorylates AMPK on the activation loop threonine (Thr172) within the catalytic subunit and activates AMPK in vitro [9]. Here, we have investigated whether LKB1 corresponds to the major AMPKK activity present in cell extracts. AMPKK purified from rat liver corresponds to LKB1, and blocking LKB1 activity in cells abolishes AMPK activation in response to different stimuli. These results identify a link between two protein kinases, previously thought to lie in unrelated, distinct pathways, that are associated with human diseases.
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PMID:LKB1 is the upstream kinase in the AMP-activated protein kinase cascade. 2462 16

Conserved pairs of CBS sequence motifs (named after cystathionine beta-synthase) found in a wide variety of proteins associate to form Bateman domains. A new study establishes that Bateman domains bind adenosyl compounds and regulate IMP dehydrogenase, CBS, chloride channels, and AMP-activated protein kinase. This discovery reveals how mutations in CBS sequences in these proteins cause hereditary diseases and provides a rich vista of conceptual opportunities for therapies in energy metabolism, obesity, diabetes, cancer, antivirals, and immunosuppression.
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PMID:Bateman domains and adenosine derivatives form a binding contract. 1472 19


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