Product Type: Inducer
CAS No.: 2627-69-2
MolecularFormula: C9H14N4O5
Molecular Weight: 258,2
Source: Synthetic
Purity: >99% (TLC); NMR (Conforms)
Solubility: Soluble to 75 mM in water and to 75 mM in DMSO.
Appearance: Off-white solid.
PubChem CID: 17513
Scientific Background: AICAR is an adenosine analog that when phosphorylated forms 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-D-ribofuranosyl-5'-monophosphate (ZMP) which proceeds to activate adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This process in turn stimulates glucose uptake by skeletal muscle in an insulin-dependent manner. Autophagy is initiated by the UNC-51-like kinase 1/2 complex (ULK1 and ULK2). Under basal conditions, autophagy is negatively regulated due to the phosphorylation of ULK1 at serine-757 by mTORC1. During starvation, autophagy is positively regulated by ULK1/2 when it is phosphorylated at serine-555 and serine-777 by AMPK. Therefore, the activation of AMPK by AICAR, in turn will induce autophagy.
References: 1. Jhun B.S., et al. (2004) Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 318(2): 372-80.2. Huang H., et al. (2013) Autophagy. 9(2): 175-95.
Field of Use: Not for use in humans. Not for use in diagnostics or therapeutics. For in vitro research use only.