AMP-Activated Protein Kinase a1 Protects Against Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance and Obesity

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an essential sensor of cellular energy status. Defects in the a2 catalytic subunit of AMPK (AMPKa1) are associated with metabolic syndrome. The current study investigated the role AMPKa1 in the pathogenesis of obesity and inflammation using male AMPKa1-deficent (AMPKa12/2) mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates. After being fed a high-fat diet (HFD), global AMPKa12/2 mice gained more body weight and greater adiposity and exhibited systemic insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction with increased se-verity in their adipose tissues compared with their WT litter-mates. Interestingly, upon HFD feeding, irradiated WT mice that received the bone marrow of AMPKa12/2 mice showed in-creased insulin resistance but not obesity, whereas irradiated AMPKa12/2 mice with WT bone marrow had a phenotype of metabolic dysregulation that was similar to that of globa