Glycogen-dependent effects of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA)-riboside on AMP-activated protein kinase and glycogen synthase activities in rat skeletal muscle

5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) functions as a metabolic switch in mammalian cells and can be artificially activated by 5-aminoimidazole-4-caxboxamide (AICA)-riboside. AMPK activation during muscle contraction is dependent on muscle glycogen concentrations, but whether glycogen also modifies the activation of AMPK and its possible downstream effectors (glycogen synthase and glucose transport) by AICA-riboside in resting muscle is not known. Thus, we have altered muscle glycogen levels in rats by a combination of swimming exercise and diet and investigated the effects of AICA-riboside in the perfused rat hindlimb muscle. Two groups of rats, one with super-compensated muscle glycogen content (similar to200-300% of normal; high glycogen [HG]) and one with moderately lowered muscle glycogen content (similar to80% of normal; low glycogen [LG]), were generated. In both groups, the degree of activation of the alpha2 isoform of AMPK by AICA-riboside depended on muscle type (white gastrocnemius much greater than red gastrocnemius > soleus). Basal and AICA-riboside-induced alpha2-AMPK activity were markedly lowered in the HG group (similar to50%) compared with the LG group. Muscle 2-deoxyglucose uptake was also increased and glycogen synthase activity decreased by AICA-riboside. Especially in white gastrocnemius, these effects, as well as the absolute activity levels of AMPK-alpha2, were markedly reduced in the HG group compared with the LG group. The inactivation of glycogen synthase by AICA-riboside was accompanied by decreased gel mobility and was eliminated by protein phosphatase treatment. We conclude that acute AICA-riboside treatment leads to phosphorylation and deactivation of glycogen synthase in skeletal muscle. Although the data do not exclude a role of other kinases/phosphatases, they suggest that glycogen synthase may be a target for AMPK in vivo. Both basal and AICA-riboside-induced AMPK-alpha2 and glycogen synthase activities, as well as glucose transport, are depressed when the glycogen stores are plentiful. Because the glycogen level did not affect adenine nucleotide concentrations, our data suggest that glycogen may directly affect the activation state of AMPK in skeletal muscle.