AMPK phosphorylates LMX1b to regulate a brainstem neurogenic network important for control of breathing in neonatal mice

Ventilatory drive is modulated by a variety of neurochemical inputs that converge on spatially oriented clusters of cells within the brainstem. This regulation is required to maintain energy homeostasis and is essential to sustain life across all mammalian organisms. However, the mechanistic understanding of the regulation of these ventilatory control cellular clusters is poorly defined. This study explores the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and LIM homeobox transcription factor 1-beta (Lmx1b), a key player in dorsal-ventral patterning during fetal development, in the regulation of brainstem ventilatory control centers Overall design: Brain stem tissue was isolated from AMPK+/+, AMPK-/-, LMX1B+/+, LMX1B+/-, or LMX1B-/- C57BL/6 mice and RNA sequencing expression profiling was performed.