Energy deprivation-induced AMPK activation inhibits milk synthesis by targeting PrlR and PGC-1α

BACKGROUND: The mammary gland is responsible for milk production and secretion, which is critical for neonatal health during lactation. Lactation efficiency is largely affected by energy status with unclear mechanism. RESULTS: In the current study, we found that synthesis of milk fat and protein was significantly inhibited under energy-deficient conditions, which is accompanied with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. Modulating the AMPK signaling pathway directly or indirectly affects the synthesis of milk fat and protein. Besides mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling in the regulation of milk synthesis, we discovered that AMPK mainly regulates the synthesis of milk protein through prolactin signaling. Mechanistically, AMPK triggers the ubiquitination of prolactin receptor (PrlR) through regulating the activity of β-transducin repeat-containing protein (β-TrCP, an E3 ligase). Subsequently, PrlR is degraded by the endocytosis process of lysosomes, which further attenuates prolactin signaling. In addition, our results revealed that AMPK activation inhibits milk fat synthesis through decreasing and accelerating de novo synthesis and β-oxidation of fatty acids, respectively. To be precise, AMPK activation inhibits rate limiting enzymes and transcriptional regulatory factors involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis and decreases the acetylation process of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α) to strengthen the oxidation of fatty acids. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, AMPK regulates the synthesis of milk not only depends on canonical mTORC1 signaling and key rate-limiting enzymes, but also through manipulating the degradation of PrlR and the acetylation of PGC-1α. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12964-022-00830-6.