Fig. 5.

Hypoglycaemic responses are insensitive to reduction in AMPKα1. (a) Lentiviral delivery of shRNA targeting AMPKα1 reduces AMPKα1, but not AMPKα2, protein levels. Cells treated with control lentiviral vector (shCont) are unaffected. (b–d) shAMPKα1 reduces H₂O₂- (b) and 0.5 mmol/l glucose (c)-induced increase in AMPKα1 activity (arbitrary units [AU]), but has no effect (d) on H₂O₂-induced increase in AMPKα2 activity (n = 4–12). White bars denote vehicle-treated cells and black bars H₂O₂-treated cells in (b) and (d), whereas in (c) white bars denote cells exposed to 2.5 mmol/l glucose and black bars cells exposed to 0.5 mmol/l glucose. (e) GT1-7 cells infected with shAMPKα1 show a normal electrical response to 0.5 mmol/l glucose. Bar graph shows mean values of membrane potential for shAMPKα1-treated GT1-7 cells challenged with 0.5 mmol/l glucose and NN414 (n = 4–6). Values are means±SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001