abstract |
The invention provides transgenic animal embryos comprising in the germ cells an adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) null mutation. The transgenic animal embryos are useful in screening drug candidates for treatment of a disease, such as cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, intestinal disease and obesity. The invention further provides methods for detecting disease in a tissue, comprising detecting a change in AMPK activity in the tissue compared to a control tissue. Also provided are methods for reducing symptoms of a disease in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutic amount of a drug that changes AMPK activity. |