Meteorin-like (metrnl) is a recently identified adipomyokine that beneficially affects glucose metabolism; however, its underlying mechanism of action is not completely understood. We here show that the level of metrnl increases in vitro under electrical pulse stimulation and in vivo in exercised mice, suggesting that metrnl is secreted during muscle contractions. In addition, metrnl increases glucose uptake via the calcium-dependent AMPKa2 pathway in skeletal muscle cells and increases the phosphorylation of HDAC5, a transcriptional repressor of GLUT4, in an AMPKa2dependent manner. Phosphorylated HDAC5 interacts with 14-3-3 proteins and sequesters them in the cytoplasm, resulting in the activation of GLUT4 transcription. An intraperitoneal injection of recombinant metrnl improved glucose tolerance in mice with high-fat-diet-induced obesity or type 2 diabetes, but not in AMPK b1b2 muscle-specific null mice. Metrnl improves glucose metabolism via AMPKa2 and is a promising therapeutic candidate for glucose-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.Abbreviations ACC, acetyl-CoA carboxylase; AMPK, AMP-activated protein kinase; BAPTA-AM, 1,2-Bis (2-aminophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N 0 ,N 0 -tetraacetic acid tetrakis (acetoxymethyl ester; EPS, electrical pulse stimulation; GLUT4, glucose transporter type 4; GST, glutathione S-transferase; GTT, glucose tolerance test; HDAC5, histone deacetylase 5; HFD, high-fat diet; ICC, immunocytochemistry; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; TBC1D1, TBC1 domain family member 1.