Astrocytic glycogen metabolism in the healthy and diseased brain

TY - JOUR

T1 - Astrocytic glycogen metabolism in the healthy and diseased brain

AU - Bak, Lasse K

AU - Walls, Anne B

AU - Schousboe, Arne

AU - Waagepetersen, Helle S

N1 - © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

PY - 2018/5/11

Y1 - 2018/5/11

N2 - The brain contains a fairly low amount of glycogen, mostly located in astrocytes, a fact that has prompted the suggestion that glycogen does not have a significant physiological role in the brain. However, glycogen metabolism in astrocytes is essential for several key physiological processes and is adversely affected in disease. For instance, diminished ability to break down glycogen impinges on learning, and epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes are all associated with abnormal astrocyte glycogen metabolism. Glycogen metabolism supports astrocytic K+ and neurotransmitter glutamate uptake and subsequent glutamine synthesis-three fundamental steps in excitatory signaling at most brain synapses. Thus, there is abundant evidence for a key role of glycogen in brain function. Here, we summarize the physiological brain functions that depend on glycogen, discuss glycogen metabolism in disease, and investigate how glycogen breakdown is regulated at the cellular and molecular levels.

AB - The brain contains a fairly low amount of glycogen, mostly located in astrocytes, a fact that has prompted the suggestion that glycogen does not have a significant physiological role in the brain. However, glycogen metabolism in astrocytes is essential for several key physiological processes and is adversely affected in disease. For instance, diminished ability to break down glycogen impinges on learning, and epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes are all associated with abnormal astrocyte glycogen metabolism. Glycogen metabolism supports astrocytic K+ and neurotransmitter glutamate uptake and subsequent glutamine synthesis-three fundamental steps in excitatory signaling at most brain synapses. Thus, there is abundant evidence for a key role of glycogen in brain function. Here, we summarize the physiological brain functions that depend on glycogen, discuss glycogen metabolism in disease, and investigate how glycogen breakdown is regulated at the cellular and molecular levels.

U2 - 10.1074/jbc.r117.803239

DO - 10.1074/jbc.r117.803239

M3 - Review

C2 - 29572349

SN - 0021-9258

VL - 293

SP - 7108

EP - 7116

JO - The Journal of Biological Chemistry

JF - The Journal of Biological Chemistry

IS - 19

ER -