Elucidation of the regulating mechanism of glycolipid synthesis by intracellular energy sensor AMPK

细胞葡糖神经酰胺（GlcCer）的量需要调节在适当的水平，因为GlcCer的异常积累导致几种疾病，如戈谢病和帕金森病。然而，细胞如何调节GlcCer水平的见解尚未澄清。腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶（AMPK）是细胞内重要的能量传感器，调节糖脂代谢以维持ATP水平。本研究探讨AMPK是否影响GlcCer代谢，发现GlcCer的合成受AMPK依赖性机制的负调控。我们的研究结果表明，通过AMPK活化减少GlcCer可能成为GlcCer积累引起的疾病的新治疗选择。

The amount of cellular glucosylceramide (GlcCer) needs to be regulated in an appropriate level because the abnormal accumulation of GlcCer causes several diseases such as Gaucher's disease and Parkinson's disease. However, insights into how cells regulate GlcCer level are yet to be clarified. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a crucial cellular energy sensor, regulates glucose and lipid metabolism to maintain ATP level. In this study, we investigated whether AMPK affect GlcCer metabolism, and found that GlcCer synthesis was negatively regulated by AMPK-dependent mechanism. Our findings suggest that reduction of GlcCer by AMPK activation may become a new treatment option for diseases caused by the accumulation of GlcCer.