Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Software-Assisted Quantitative Measurement of Osteoarthritic Subchondral Bone Thickness
Published on: March 18, 2022
AMPK Signaling in Energy Control, Cartilage Biology, and Osteoarthritis
Abstract:
The adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was initially identified as an enzyme acting as an "energy sensor" in maintaining energy homeostasis via serine/threonine phosphorylation when low cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level was sensed. AMPK participates in catabolic and anabolic processes at the molecular and cellular levels and is involved in appetite-regulating circuit in the hypothalamus. AMPK signaling also modulates energy metabolism in organs such as adipose tissue, brain, muscle, and heart, which are highly dependent on energy consumption via adjusting the AMP/ADP:ATP ratio. In clinics, biguanides and thiazolidinediones are prescribed to patients with metabolic disorders through activating AMPK signaling and inhibiting complex I in the mitochondria, leading to a reduction in mitochondrial respiration and elevated ATP production. The role of AMPK in mediating skeletal development and related diseases remains obscure. In this review, in addition to discuss the emerging advances of AMPK studies in energy control, we will also illustrate current discoveries of AMPK in chondrocyte homeostasis, osteoarthritis (OA) development, and the signaling interaction of AMPK with other pathways, such as mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), Wnt, and NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) under OA condition.
Related Concept Videos
MAPK Signaling Cascades
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
