FRET-Based Sensor for Measuring Adenine Nucleotide Binding to AMPK

Overview

Journal Methods Mol Biol

Specialty Molecular Biology

Date 2025 Feb 24

PMID 39992503

Authors

Roland Abi Nahed

Martin Pelosse

Francesco Aulicino

Florine Cottaz

Imre Berger

Uwe Schlattner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has evolved to detect a critical increase in cellular AMP/ATP and ADP/ATP concentration ratios as a signal for limiting energy supply. Such energy stress then leads to AMPK activation and downstream events that maintain cellular energy homeostasis. AMPK activation by AMP, ADP, or pharmacological activators involves a conformational switch within the AMPK heterotrimeric complex. We have engineered an AMPK-based sensor, AMPfret, which translates the activating conformational switch into a fluorescence signal, based on increased fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between donor and acceptor fluorophores. Here we describe how this sensor can be used to analyze direct AMPK activation by small molecules in vitro using a fluorimeter, or to estimate changes in the energy state of cells using standard fluorescence or confocal microscopy.

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