PhD defence: The role of AMPKγ3 in skeletal muscle

About the thesis
During exercise molecular signaling within the muscle cell is initiated. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) senses changes in the cell’s energy level. It has been suggested that AMPK initiates molecular signaling that is beneficial for metabolic health of muscles. AMPK is found in many forms, but the present thesis focuses on AMPKγ3 that is very responsive to exercise and is only found in skeletal muscle.

Through exercise-like interventions in mice and studies of both human and mouse carriers of AMPKγ3 mutations, the role of AMPKγ3 for the regulation of glucose metabolism, insulin action and AMPK activation was investigated.

It was demonstrated that AMPKγ3 is dispensable for pharmacological regulation of glucose uptake in muscle but necessary for the regulation of insulin sensitivity in the period after muscle contractions. Furthermore, it was found that mutations in certain parts of the AMPKγ3 protein affects the activity of the kinase directly.

Supervisor
Professor Jørgen Wotjaszewski, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Opponents
Professor Bente Kiens (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Niels Jessen, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Professor Zhen Yan (opponent), University of Virginia, US.