Exercise increases nuclear AMPK α2 in human skeletal muscle

An acute bout of exercise increases skeletal muscle glucose uptake, improves glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, and enhances muscle oxidative capacity. Recent studies have shown an association between these adaptations and the energy-sensing 5\u27 AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the activity of which is increased in response to exercise. Activation of AMPK has been associated with enhanced expression of key metabolic proteins such as GLUT-4, hexokinase II (HKII), and mitochondrial enzymes, similar to exercise. It has been hypothesized that AMPK might regulate gene and protein expression through direct interaction with the nucleus. The purpose of this study was to determine if nuclear AMPK α2 content in human skeletal muscle was increased by exercise. Following 60 min of cycling at 72 +/- 1% of VO2peak in six male volunteers (20.6 +/- 2.1 years; 72.9 +/- 2.1 kg; VO2peak = 3.62 +/- 0.18 l/min), nuclear AMPK α2 content was increased 1.9 +/- 0.4-fold (P = 0.024). There was no change in whole-cell AMPK α2 content or AMPK α2 mRNA abundance. These results suggest that nuclear translocation of AMPK might mediate the effects of exercise on skeletal muscle gene and protein expression.