Leptin is crucial in energy metabolism, including muscle regulation. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α (PGC1α) orchestrates energy metabolism and is tightly controlled by post-translational covalent modifications such as phosphorylation and acetylation. We aimed to further the knowledge of PGC1α control by leptin (at physiological levels) in muscle cells by time-sequentially analysing the activation of AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK), P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38 MAPK) and Akt (Protein kinase B)--all known to phosphorylate PGC1α and to be involved in the regulation of its acetylation status--in C2C12 myotubes placed in a high-glucose serum-free medium. We also studied the protein levels of PGC1α, Sirtuin 1, adiponectin, COX IV, mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4). Our main findings suggest an important role of leptin regulating AMPK and Akt phosphorylation, Mfn2 induction and PGC1α acetylation status, with the novelty that the latter in transitorily increased in response to leptin, an effect dependent, at least in part, on AMPK regulation. These post-translational reversible changes in PGC1α in response to leptin, especially the increase in acetylation status, may be related to the physiological role of the hormone in modulating muscle cell response to the physiological/nutritional status.
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.