Single phosphorylation sites in Acc1 and Acc2 regulate lipid homeostasis and the insulin-sensitizing effects of metformin

Metformin is one of the most widely prescribed therapeutics for type 2 diabetes. But exactly how it works is still unclear. Gregory Steinberg and colleagues now show that it does so by activation of the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (Ampk) and Ampk's obligate targeting of two key enzymes involved in lipid homeostasis.