Regulation of Autophagy by AMPK

This chapter gives a systematic introduction about the basics of (activated protein kinase) AMPK and the regulatory pathways of autophagy by AMPK. The heterotrimeric AMPK complex consists of catalytic α subunit and regulatory β and γ subunits. Given its role in sensing changes in energy level and controlling activities of enzymes involved in cellular metabolism, the structure of AMPK heterotrimer can be divided into two modules, that is, the catalytic module and the nucleotide-binding module. The γ subunit is responsible for sensing changes in AMP through the direct binding of adenine nucleotides. The finding of synthetic compounds as well as natural plant product that regulate AMPK through their binding at the specific site raises the question of whether there is any metabolite in mammals that functions in the same way. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular process in which cellular components such as proteins and organelles are degraded and recycled through lysosomal machinery.