Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Visualizing Mitophagy with Fluorescent Dyes for Mitochondria and Lysosome
07:56

Visualizing Mitophagy with Fluorescent Dyes for Mitochondria and Lysosome

Published on: November 30, 2022

Mitochondria and AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent mechanism of efferocytosis

Shaoning Jiang1, Dae Won Park2, William S Stigler1

  • 1From the Department of Medicine.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|July 31, 2013
PubMed

Insights

AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activation in macrophages enhances the clearance of apoptotic cells, crucial for resolving inflammation and restoring tissue homeostasis. This mitochondrial AMPK pathway aids in tracking and engulfing dying cells.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • Mitochondrial Biology

Background:

  • Defective clearance of apoptotic cells contributes to chronic inflammatory diseases.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of efferocytosis is critical for therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in the clearance of apoptotic cells.
  • To elucidate the signaling pathways involved in AMPK activation during efferocytosis.

Main Methods:

  • Macrophages were exposed to apoptotic cells and lysophosphatidylcholine.
  • AMPK activation was assessed by measuring mitochondrial function, calcium mobilization, and reactive oxygen species.
  • Apoptotic cell uptake was quantified in vitro and in vivo in mouse models.

Main Results:

  • Apoptotic cells and lysophosphatidylcholine rapidly activated AMPK in macrophages.
  • AMPK activation was dependent on mitochondrial dysfunction, Ca(2+) flux, and mitochondrial ROS.
  • Activated AMPK enhanced microtubule synthesis, chemokinesis, and apoptotic cell engulfment.
  • Inhibition of AMPK impaired apoptotic cell clearance in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • The mitochondrial AMPK axis acts as a critical sensor and enhancer for apoptotic cell tracking and removal.
  • AMPK-mediated efferocytosis is essential for resolving inflammation and maintaining tissue homeostasis.
Keywords:
AMP-activated Kinase (AMPK)BioenergeticsChemotaxisMitochondriaPhagocytosis

More Related Videos

In Vitro and In Vivo Detection of Mitophagy in Human Cells, C. Elegans, and Mice08:40

In Vitro and In Vivo Detection of Mitophagy in Human Cells, C. Elegans, and Mice

Published on: November 22, 2017

Quantification of Efferocytosis by Single-cell Fluorescence Microscopy06:15

Quantification of Efferocytosis by Single-cell Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: August 18, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria01:19

Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria

Mitochondrial precursors are translocated to the internal subcompartments via independent mechanisms involving distinct protein machineries called translocases.
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome01:36

Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome

Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis00:58

Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis

The recycling endosome, also known as the endosomal recycling compartment (ERC), is a part of the slow-recycling process of the endocytic pathway. Molecules internalized through receptor-mediated endocytosis are either degraded in the lysosomes or are recycled to the plasma membrane through the fast- or slow-recycling route.
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:38

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Overview
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
Autophagy01:27

Autophagy

Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...