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. 1968 Aug;47(8):1929–1946. doi: 10.1172/JCI105883

An inherited molecular lesion of erythrocyte pyruvate kinase

Identification of a kinetically aberrant isozyme associated with premature hemolysis

Donald E Paglia 1,2,3,4,5,6, William N Valentine 1,2,3,4,5,6, Marjorie A Baughan 1,2,3,4,5,6, Denis R Miller 1,2,3,4,5,6, Claude F Reed 1,2,3,4,5,6, O Ross McIntyre 1,2,3,4,5,6
PMCID: PMC297353  PMID: 5666119

Abstract

Atypical cases of heritable hemolytic anemia have been noted that conform clinically and biochemically to anemias of the pyruvatekinase (PK)-deficient type, except for the presence of apparently adequate quantities of erythrocyte-PK activity by the usual assay procedure. Investigations of four such anomalous cases, occurring in two unrelated families, are presented. Erythrocytes contained a kinetically aberrant isozyme of pyruvate kinase (PK2). Michaelis constants for the pathologic isozyme relative to phosphoenolpyruvate were over 10-fold greater than control values, but no kinetic abnormality was evident for the second substrate, adenosine diphosphate. PK2 exhibited a pH optimum almost 1 U lower than the wild enzyme form (PK1). Significant differences were also evident in the functional stabilities of the isozymes. Leukocytes were unaffected.

Family studies revealed paternal heterozygosity for quantitative PK deficiency of the usual type. Clinically normal maternal relatives and some siblings demonstrated intermediate deviations in erythrocyte-PK kinetics and reaction characteristics compatible with coexistence of normal PK1 and kinetically abnormal PK2. Hemolytic anemia in the propositi appeared to require simultaneous inheritance of the gene governing PK2 production and its presumed allele resulting in quantitative PK deficiency. Both genetic defects were traced through three generations, the defective gene in both instances apparently resident on autosomes.

A revision of the PK assay technique is suggested, since catalytic inefficiency of PK2 was manifested only at low substrate concentrations and was therefore undetectable at the relatively high phosphoenolpyruvate levels employed in the conventional assay.

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Selected References

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

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