AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) serves as a central guardian maintaining energy homeostasis under nutrient stress and/or energy crisis.The study by Xu et al.identified that a nuclear factor UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like with plant home-odomain and RING finger domains 1) suppresses AMPK activity in the nucleus by recruiting PP2A to dephosphorylate AMPK at T172,which in turn governs cytoplasmic AMPK activity in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism.