Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1997;76(5):600–605. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1997.432

Creatine kinase activity and isoenzymes in lung, colon and liver carcinomas.

J Joseph 1, A Cardesa 1, J Carreras 1
PMCID: PMC2228007  PMID: 9303358

Abstract

We have compared the levels of creatine kinase (CK) activity and the distribution of CK isoenzymes determined by agarose gel electrophoresis in normal colon, liver and lung tissues, and in colon, liver and lung adenocarcinomas, lung squamous cell carcinomas and lung carcinoids. Colon and lung adenocarcinomas, and squamous cell carcinomas presented lower CK activity than the normal tissues and no differences were found between hepatocarcinoma and normal liver tissue. In contrast, lung carcinoids had higher CK activity than normal lung tissue. Type BB-CK was the predominant isoenzyme in normal lung, colon and liver tissues. Type MM isoenzyme was detected in normal lung and type MB-CK was found in normal colon. In most lung tumours the CK isoenzyme electrophoretic pattern did not change. However, no type BB-CK was detected in some hepatocarcinomas, type MM-CK decreased in lung carcinoids and type MB isoenzyme was not observed in colon adenocarcinomas. It is concluded that in most tumours there is a decrease in the expression of type B- and type M-CK subunits, whereas in lung carcinoid the expression of type B-CK activity increases. Thus, the increase in type BB-CK observed in the serum of patients with lung and colon adenocarcinomas is probably due mainly to enhanced enzyme release as a result of tumour cell necrosis.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

602Figure 1
on p.602
603Figure 2
on p.603
603Figure 3
on p.603

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allard D., Cabrol D. Etude électrophorétique des isozymes de la créatine phosphokinase dans les tissus de l'homme et du lapin. Pathol Biol (Paris) 1970 Oct;18(19):847–850. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arenas J., Diaz A. E., Alcaide M. J., Santos I., Martínez A., Culebras J. M. Serum CK-BB as a tumor marker in patients with carcinoma confirmed histologically. Clin Chim Acta. 1989 Jun 30;182(2):183–193. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(89)90077-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bais R., Edwards J. B. Creatine kinase. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 1982;16(4):291–335. doi: 10.3109/10408368209107030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bessman S. P., Carpenter C. L. The creatine-creatine phosphate energy shuttle. Annu Rev Biochem. 1985;54:831–862. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.54.070185.004151. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bradford M. M. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem. 1976 May 7;72:248–254. doi: 10.1006/abio.1976.9999. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Burnam M. H., Barstis J. L., Stern C. S., Rose D. M., Crouch M. A., Haskell C. M., Singh B. N. Increased inactive creatine kinase B protein in the plasma of patients with malignancy. Clin Chem. 1981 Oct;27(10):1724–1728. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Carney D. N., Zweig M. H., Ihde D. C., Cohen M. H., Makuch R. W., Gazdar A. F. Elevated serum creatine kinase BB levels in patients with small cell lung cancer. Cancer Res. 1984 Nov;44(11):5399–5403. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Chastain S. L., Ketchum C. H., Grizzle W. E. Stability and electrophoretic characteristics of creatine kinase BB extracted from human brain and intestine. Clin Chem. 1988 Mar;34(3):489–492. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Coolen R. B., Pragay D. A., Nosanchuk J. S., Belding R. Elevation of brain-type creatine kinase in serum from patients with carcinoma. Cancer. 1979 Oct;44(4):1414–1418. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197910)44:4<1414::aid-cncr2820440436>3.0.co;2-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. DeLuca M., Hall N., Rice R., Kaplan N. O. Creatine kinase isozymes in human tumors. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1981 Mar 16;99(1):189–195. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(81)91731-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Foreback C. C., Chu J. W. Creatine kinase isoenzymes: electrophoretic and quantitative measurements. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 1981;15(3):187–230. doi: 10.3109/10408368109105871. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gazdar A. F., Zweig M. H., Carney D. N., Van Steirteghen A. C., Baylin S. B., Minna J. D. Levels of creatine kinase and its BB isoenzyme in lung cancer specimens and cultures. Cancer Res. 1981 Jul;41(7):2773–2777. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gosney J. R., Gosney M. A., Lye M., Butt S. A. Reliability of commercially available immunocytochemical markers for identification of neuroendocrine differentiation in bronchoscopic biopsies of bronchial carcinoma. Thorax. 1995 Feb;50(2):116–120. doi: 10.1136/thx.50.2.116. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Graeber G. M., Wukich D. K., Cafferty P. J., O'Neill J. F., Wolf R. E., Ackerman N. B., Harmon J. W. Changes in peripheral serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in acute experimental colonic infarction. Ann Surg. 1981 Dec;194(6):708–715. doi: 10.1097/00000658-198112000-00009. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Griffiths J. C. Creatine kinase isoenzyme 1. Clin Lab Med. 1982 Sep;2(3):493–506. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hamada M., Takenaka H., Fukumoto K., Fukamachi S., Yamaguchi T., Sumida M., Shiosaka T., Kurokawa Y., Okuda H., Kuby S. A. Structure and function of adenylate kinase isozymes in normal humans and muscular dystrophy patients. Isozymes Curr Top Biol Med Res. 1987;16:81–99. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hoag G. N., Franks C. R., DeCoteau W. E. Creatine kinase isoenzymes in serum of patients with cancer of various organs. Clin Chem. 1978 Sep;24(9):1654–1654. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Huszar G., Vigue L. Spermatogenesis-related change in the synthesis of the creatine kinase B-type and M-type isoforms in human spermatozoa. Mol Reprod Dev. 1990 Mar;25(3):258–262. doi: 10.1002/mrd.1080250307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hørder M., Elser R. C., Gerhardt W., Mathieu M., Sampson E. J. International Federation of Clinical Chemistry, Scientific Division Committee on Enzymes: approved recommendation on IFCC methods for the measurement of catalytic concentration of enzymes. Part 7. IFCC method for creatine kinase (ATP: creatine N-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.3.2). Eur J Clin Chem Clin Biochem. 1991 Jul;29(7):435–456. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Jockers-Wretou E., Pfleiderer G. Quantitation of creatine kinase isoenzymes in human tissues and sera by an immunological method. Clin Chim Acta. 1975 Feb 8;58(3):223–232. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(75)90441-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Kanemitsu F., Kawanishi I., Mizushima J. A new creatine kinase found in mitochondrial extracts from malignant liver tissue. Clin Chim Acta. 1983 Mar 14;128(2-3):233–240. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(83)90323-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Kanemitsu F., Kawanishi I., Mizushima J. Characteristics of mitochondrial creatine kinases from normal human heart and liver tissues. Clin Chim Acta. 1982 Mar 12;119(3):307–317. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(82)90344-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Kanemitsu F., Okigaki T. Creatine kinase isoenzymes. J Chromatogr. 1988 Jul 29;429:399–417. doi: 10.1016/s0378-4347(00)83880-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Lee B. I., Bach P. M., Horton J. D., Hickey T. M., Davis W. A. Elevated CK-MB and CK-BB in serum and tumor homogenate of a patient with lung cancer. Clin Cardiol. 1985 Apr;8(4):233–236. doi: 10.1002/clc.4960080409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. McGing P. G., Kyne F., Johnston P., Carney D. N. Elevation of true creatine kinase-MB in a patient with small-cell lung cancer. JAMA. 1988 Feb 12;259(6):844–844. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Mercer D. W., Talamo T. S. Multiple markers of malignancy in sera of patients with colorectal carcinoma: preliminary clinical studies. Clin Chem. 1985 Nov;31(11):1824–1828. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Nanji A. A. Serum creatine kinase isoenzymes: a review. Muscle Nerve. 1983 Feb;6(2):83–90. doi: 10.1002/mus.880060203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Okano K., Yamamoto K., Ohba Y., Matsumura K., Miyaji T. Source of elevated serum mitochondrial creatine kinase activity in patients with malignancy. Clin Chim Acta. 1987 Nov 16;169(2-3):159–163. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(87)90315-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Roberts R., Henry P. D., Sobel B. E. An improved basis for enzymatic estimation of infarct size. Circulation. 1975 Nov;52(5):743–754. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.52.5.743. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Schulz G. E. Structural and functional relationships in the adenylate kinase family. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1987;52:429–439. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1987.052.01.050. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Smith A. F. Separation of tissue and serum creatine kinase isoenzymes on polyacrylamide gel slabs. Clin Chim Acta. 1972 Jul;39(2):351–359. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(72)90053-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Tsung S. H. Circulating CK-MB and CK-BB isoenzyme after gastrointestinal surgery. J Clin Pathol. 1982 Feb;35(2):200–203. doi: 10.1136/jcp.35.2.200. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Tsung S. H. Creatine kinase activity and isoenzyme pattern in various normal tissues and neoplasms. Clin Chem. 1983 Dec;29(12):2040–2043. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Tsung S. H. Creatine kinase isoenzyme patterns in human tissue obtained at surgery. Clin Chem. 1976 Feb;22(2):173–175. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Tsung S. H. Total CK activity and isoenzyme patterns in normal and neoplastic tissue of gastrointestinal tract. J Clin Pathol. 1982 Feb;35(2):204–206. doi: 10.1136/jcp.35.2.204. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Urdal P., Urdal K., Strømme J. H. Cytoplasmic creatine kinase isoenzymes quantitated in tissue specimens obtained at surgery. Clin Chem. 1983 Feb;29(2):310–313. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Usui A., Fujita K., Imaizumi M., Abe T., Inoue K., Matumoto S., Kato K. Determination of creatine kinase isozymes in sera and tissues of patients with various lung carcinomas. Clin Chim Acta. 1987 Apr 15;164(1):47–53. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(87)90106-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Vergnon J. M., Guidollet J., Louisot P., Brune J. Cancer pulmonaire à petites cellules. Isoenzyme BB de la créatine phosphokinase dans le sérum, le liquide pleural et le tissu néoplasique. Presse Med. 1983 Feb 12;12(6):364–365. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Wallimann T., Wyss M., Brdiczka D., Nicolay K., Eppenberger H. M. Intracellular compartmentation, structure and function of creatine kinase isoenzymes in tissues with high and fluctuating energy demands: the 'phosphocreatine circuit' for cellular energy homeostasis. Biochem J. 1992 Jan 1;281(Pt 1):21–40. doi: 10.1042/bj2810021. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Wold L. E., Li C. Y., Homburger H. A. Localization of the B and M polypeptide subunits of creatine kinase in normal and neoplastic human tissues by an immunoperoxidase technic. Am J Clin Pathol. 1981 Mar;75(3):327–332. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/75.3.327. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Wyss M., Smeitink J., Wevers R. A., Wallimann T. Mitochondrial creatine kinase: a key enzyme of aerobic energy metabolism. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1992 Sep 25;1102(2):119–166. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(92)90096-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES