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To the Editor

Nature Genetics volume 44, pages 360–361 (2012)Cite this article

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To the Editor:

In a recently reported genome-wide association study, the rs11212617 SNP was determined to be associated with the efficacy of metformin treatment in type 2 diabetes1. One of the genes at this locus is ATM, which is mutated in ataxia telangiectasia, a neurodegenerative disease associated with predisposition to cancer2. One of the targets of metformin action is the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)3, a protein kinase that has a key role in maintaining energy homeostasis4. The authors of the previous study showed that activation of AMPK by metformin was reduced by treatment with an ATM inhibitor, KU-55933, and concluded that ATM has a direct role in the activation of AMPK by metformin1. Their study raises a number of exciting possibilities linking metabolism and cancer.

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Figure 1: KU-55933 reduces metformin uptake in hepatocytes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cellular Stress Group, Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK

    Angela Woods & David Carling

  2. Nitric Oxide Signalling Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK

    James M Leiper

Authors
  1. Angela Woods
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  2. James M Leiper
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  3. David Carling
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Correspondence to David Carling.

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Woods, A., Leiper, J. & Carling, D. To the Editor. Nat Genet 44, 360–361 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2235

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