Figure 1.

The structure of AMPK subunits: AMPK have three subunits, including α, β, γ. α is catalytic while β and γ are regulatory. Both α1 and α2 subunits have a crucial site in Thr183 and Thr172, whose phosphorylation is necessary for AMPK maximal activation. The β subunits could act as a scaffold, which makes the AMPK complex located on lysosomes, an exception from having phosphorylation, myristoylation, and carbohydrate-binding sites. The γ subunits bind the nucleotides by three sites, which are the structural basis for this energy sensor.