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Updated: May 21, 2026

Amide Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange & MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Pak2 Activation
Published on: November 26, 2011
AMP-activated protein kinase undergoes nucleotide-dependent conformational changes
Lei Chen1, Jue Wang, Yuan-Yuan Zhang
1MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
The energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric complex that is allosterically activated by AMP binding to the γ subunit. Cocrystal structures of the mammalian AMPK core reveal occlusion of nucleotide-binding site 3 of the γ subunit in the presence of ATP. However, site 3 is occupied in the presence of AMP. Mutagenesis studies indicate that sites 3 and 4 are important for AMPK allosteric activation.
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