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Protein Kinase N2 Regulates AMP-Kinase Signaling and Insulin Responsiveness of Glucose Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle

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AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism

Published online on

Abstract

Insulin resistance is central to the development of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders. As skeletal muscle is responsible for the majority of whole body insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, regulation of glucose metabolism in this tissue is of particular importance. While Rho GTPases and many of their affecters influence skeletal muscle metabolism, there is a paucity of information on the protein kinase N (PKN) family of serine/threonine protein kinases. We investigated the impact of PKN2 on insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in primary human skeletal muscle cells in vitro and mouse tibialis anterior muscle in vivo. PKN2 knockdown in vitro decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, incorporation into glycogen, and oxidation. PKN2 siRNA increased 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, while stimulating fatty acid oxidation and incorporation into triglycerides, and decreasing protein synthesis. At the transcriptional level, PKN2 knockdown increased expression of PGC1α and SREBP1c and their target genes. In mature skeletal muscle, in vivo PKN2 knockdown decreased glucose uptake and increased AMPK phosphorylation. Thus, PKN2 alters key signaling pathways and transcriptional networks to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Identification of PKN2 as a novel regulator of insulin and AMPK signaling may provide an avenue for manipulation of skeletal muscle metabolism.