5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1
Also known as: AMPK1, PRKAA1
Function
Catalytic subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an energy sensor protein kinase that plays a key role in regulating cellular energy metabolism. In response to reduction of intracellular ATP levels, AMPK activates energy-producing pathways and inhibits energy-consuming processes: inhibits protein, carbohydrate and lipid biosynthesis, as well as cell growth and proliferation. AMPK acts via direct phosphorylation of metabolic enzymes, and by longer-term effects via phosphorylation of transcription regulators. Regulates lipid synthesis by phosphorylating and inactivating lipid metabolic enzymes such as ACACA, ACACB, GYS1, HMGCR and LIPE; regulates fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis by phosphorylating acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACACA and ACACB) and hormone-sensitive lipase (LIPE) enzymes, respectively (By similarity). Promotes lipolysis of lipid droplets by mediating phosphorylation of isoform 1 of CHKA (CHKalpha2). Regulates insulin-signaling and glycolysis by phosphorylating IRS1, PFKFB2 and PFKFB3 (By similarity). AMPK stimulates glucose uptake in muscle by increasing the translocation of the glucose transporter SLC2A4/GLUT4 to the plasma membrane, possibly by mediating phosphorylation of TBC1D4/AS160 (By similarity). Regulates transcription and chromatin structure by phosphorylating transcription regulators involved in energy metabolism such as CRTC2/TORC2, FOXO3, histone H2B, HDAC5, MEF2C, MLXIPL/ChREBP, EP300, HNF4A, p53/TP53, SREBF1, SREBF2 and PPARGC1A. Acts as a key regulator of glucose homeostasis in liver by phosphorylating CRTC2/TORC2, leading to CRTC2/TORC2 sequestration in the cytoplasm (By similarity). In response to stress, phosphorylates 'Ser-36' of histone H2B (H2BS36ph), leading to promote transcription (By similarity). Acts as a key regulator of cell growth and proliferation by phosphorylating FNIP1, TSC2, RPTOR, WDR24 and ATG1/ULK1: in response to nutrient limitation, negatively regulates the mTORC1 complex by phosphorylating RPTOR component of the mTORC1 complex and by phosphorylating and activating TSC2. Also phosphorylates and inhibits GATOR2 subunit WDR24 in response to nutrient limitation, leading to suppress glucose-mediated mTORC1 activation. In response to energetic stress, phosphorylates FNIP1, inactivating the non-canonical mTORC1 signaling, thereby promoting nuclear translocation of TFEB and TFE3, and inducing transcription of lysosomal or autophagy genes. In response to nutrient limitation, promotes autophagy by phosphorylating and activating ATG1/ULK1. In that process, it also activates WDR45/WIPI4. Phosphorylates CASP6, thereby preventing its autoprocessing and subsequent activation. In response to nutrient limitation, phosphorylates transcription factor FOXO3 promoting FOXO3 mitochondrial import (By similarity). Also acts as a regulator of cellular polarity by remodeling the actin cytoskeleton; probably by indirectly activating myosin. AMPK also acts as a regulator of circadian rhythm by mediating phosphorylation of CRY1, leading to destabilize it (By similarity). May regulate the Wnt signaling pathway by phosphorylating CTNNB1, leading to stabilize it (By similarity). Also has tau-protein kinase activity: in response to amyloid beta A4 protein (APP) exposure, activated by CAMKK2, leading to phosphorylation of MAPT/TAU; however the relevance of such data remains unclear in vivo (By similarity). Also phosphorylates CFTR, EEF2K, KLC1, NOS3 and SLC12A1. Regulates hepatic lipogenesis. Activated via SIRT3, represses sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcriptional activities and ATP-consuming lipogenesis to restore cellular energy balance. Upon stress, regulates mitochondrial fragmentation through phosphorylation of MTFR1L. Phosphorylates ALDH7A1 in response to cellular stress, such as hypoxia or ferroptotic stress, promoting ALDH7A1 recruitment to membranes.
Classification
- Family (Pfam)
- PF16579 AdenylateSensor, PF21147 AMPK_alpha_AID, PF00069 Pkinase
- InterPro
- AMPK_C, AMPKA1_C, KA1/Ssp2_C, Kinase-like_dom_sf, PRKAA1/2_AID, PRKAA1_UBA, Prot_kinase_dom, Protein_kinase_ATP_BS, Ser/Thr_kinase_AS
- Functional cluster
- Serine/Threonine Protein Kinases
Experimental structures · PDB · 12
- 4RED X-ray 2.95A
- 4RER X-ray 4.05A
- 4REW X-ray 4.58A
- 5EZV X-ray 2.99A
- 6C9F X-ray 2.92A
- 6C9G X-ray 2.70A
- 6C9H X-ray 2.65A
- 6C9J X-ray 3.05A
- 7JHG EM 3.47A
- 7JHH EM 3.92A
- 7JIJ X-ray 5.50A
- 7M74 EM 3.93A
A predicted model is available from AlphaFold.
Gene Ontology · 87
- GO:0016324 apical plasma membrane
- GO:0030424 axon
- GO:0000785 chromatin
- GO:0036064 ciliary basal body
- GO:0005737 cytoplasm
- GO:0005829 cytosol
- GO:0030425 dendrite
- GO:0005788 endoplasmic reticulum lumen
- GO:0043025 neuronal cell body
- GO:0016607 nuclear speck
- GO:0005654 nucleoplasm
- GO:0031588 nucleotide-activated protein kinase complex
- GO:0005634 nucleus
- GO:0047322 [hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (NADPH)] kinase activity
- GO:0004679 AMP-activated protein kinase activity
- GO:0005524 ATP binding
- GO:0004691 cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity
- GO:0003682 chromatin binding
- GO:0140823 histone H2BS36 kinase activity
- GO:0046872 metal ion binding
- GO:0004672 protein kinase activity
- GO:0106310 protein serine kinase activity
- GO:0004674 protein serine/threonine kinase activity
- GO:0044877 protein-containing complex binding
- GO:0048156 tau protein binding
- GO:0050321 tau-protein kinase activity
- GO:0006914 autophagy
- GO:0061762 CAMKK-AMPK signaling cascade
- GO:0071277 cellular response to calcium ion
- GO:0071361 cellular response to ethanol
- GO:0042149 cellular response to glucose starvation
- GO:0071333 cellular response to glucose stimulus
- GO:0070301 cellular response to hydrogen peroxide
- GO:0071456 cellular response to hypoxia
- GO:0031669 cellular response to nutrient levels
- GO:0034599 cellular response to oxidative stress
- GO:0009267 cellular response to starvation
- GO:0033554 cellular response to stress
- GO:0071466 cellular response to xenobiotic stimulus
- GO:0006695 cholesterol biosynthetic process
- GO:0009631 cold acclimation
- GO:0006351 DNA-templated transcription
- GO:0097009 energy homeostasis
- GO:0006633 fatty acid biosynthetic process
- GO:0055089 fatty acid homeostasis
- GO:0042593 glucose homeostasis
- GO:0008610 lipid biosynthetic process
- GO:1905691 lipid droplet disassembly
- GO:0061744 motor behavior
- GO:0043066 negative regulation of apoptotic process
- GO:0110076 negative regulation of ferroptosis
- GO:0010629 negative regulation of gene expression
- GO:0046318 negative regulation of glucosylceramide biosynthetic process
- GO:1903944 negative regulation of hepatocyte apoptotic process
- GO:0046627 negative regulation of insulin receptor signaling pathway
- GO:0050995 negative regulation of lipid catabolic process
- GO:0032007 negative regulation of TOR signaling
- GO:1904262 negative regulation of TORC1 signaling
- GO:0070050 neuron cellular homeostasis
- GO:1904179 positive regulation of adipose tissue development
- GO:0010508 positive regulation of autophagy
- GO:0008284 positive regulation of cell population proliferation
- GO:0045542 positive regulation of cholesterol biosynthetic process
- GO:0045893 positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription
- GO:0045821 positive regulation of glycolytic process
- GO:1903109 positive regulation of mitochondrial transcription
- GO:1903829 positive regulation of protein localization
- GO:1903955 positive regulation of protein targeting to mitochondrion
- GO:0050870 positive regulation of T cell activation
- GO:0002842 positive regulation of T cell mediated immune response to tumor cell
- GO:1990044 protein localization to lipid droplet
- GO:0072657 protein localization to membrane
- GO:0072659 protein localization to plasma membrane
- GO:0042752 regulation of circadian rhythm
- GO:0070507 regulation of microtubule cytoskeleton organization
- GO:0062028 regulation of stress granule assembly
- GO:0043114 regulation of vascular permeability
- GO:0060627 regulation of vesicle-mediated transport
- GO:0014823 response to activity
- GO:0031000 response to caffeine
- GO:0043627 response to estrogen
- GO:0010332 response to gamma radiation
- GO:0001666 response to hypoxia
- GO:0009411 response to UV
- GO:0048511 rhythmic process
- GO:0007165 signal transduction
- GO:0016055 Wnt signaling pathway
Drugs targeting this protein · 1
- ACADESINE activator
Related proteins · sequence + function similarity
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 1.00
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 1.00
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 1.00
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 0.96
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 0.96
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 0.96
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 0.96
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 0.96
- SNF1-like protein kinase ssp2 0.90
- Serine/threonine protein kinase OSK3 0.88
- Serine/threonine protein kinase OSK3 0.88
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 0.88
Co-cited proteins · studied together in the literature
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-2 23 shared papers
- Alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase 2 shared papers
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase subunit beta-1 6 shared papers
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase subunit gamma-1 7 shared papers
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 1 shared papers
- Mitochondrial fission regulator 1-like 1 shared papers
- Folliculin-interacting protein 1 4 shared papers
- Genome polyprotein 1 shared papers
- 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 6 shared papers
- Protein phosphatase 1E 1 shared papers
- Mitochondrial fission regulator 1-like 1 shared papers
- Kinesin light chain 1 1 shared papers
Literature · 53 cited papers
- ALDH7A1 protects against ferroptosis by generating membrane NADH and regulating FSP1. Cell · 2025
- DENV-2 NS1 promotes AMPK-LKB1 interaction to activate AMPK/ERK/mTOR signaling pathway to induce autophagy. Virol. J. · 2023
- Induction of lysosomal and mitochondrial biogenesis by AMPK phosphorylation of FNIP1. Science · 2023
- AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of the GATOR2 component WDR24 suppresses glucose-mediated mTORC1 activation. Nat. Metab. · 2023
- AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of MTFR1L regulates mitochondrial morphology. Sci. Adv. · 2022
- Choline kinase alpha 2 acts as a protein kinase to promote lipolysis of lipid droplets. Mol. Cell · 2021
- LACC1 deficiency links juvenile arthritis with autophagy and metabolism in macrophages. J. Exp. Med. · 2021
- An AMPK-caspase-6 axis controls liver damage in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Science · 2020
- ALDH7A1 inhibits the intracellular transport pathways during hypoxia and starvation to promote cellular energy homeostasis. Nat. Commun. · 2019
- WIPI3 and WIPI4 beta-propellers are scaffolds for LKB1-AMPK-TSC signalling circuits in the control of autophagy. Nat. Commun. · 2017
- Cross-talk between two essential nutrient-sensitive enzymes: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). J. Biol. Chem. · 2014
- An enzyme assisted RP-RPLC approach for in-depth analysis of human liver phosphoproteome. J. Proteomics · 2014
- … and 41 more in the literature graph