AMPK promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and function by phosphorylating the epigenetic factors DNMT1, RBBP7, and HAT1

When cellular energy is low, cells activate the kinase AMPK, which promotes mitochondrial biogenesisand function. Marin et al . found that AMPKphosphorylated three proteins involved in nucleosomeremodeling: the DNA methyltransferase DNMT1, the histone acetyltransferase HAT1, and RBBP7, which inhibits DNMT1and is a HAT1 coactivator. AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of these proteins triggered nucleosomeremodeling that favored the transcription of nuclear-encoded genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesisand function in human cultured endothelial cells and mouse aortas. These results show that AMPKcoordinates mitochondrial function with energy status through epigenetic regulation of nuclear geneexpression.