Pyruvate kinase activity and response to allosteric effectors in rat erythrocytes and reticulocytes fractionated by multiple partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems.

Specific activity of pyruvate kinase decreases as the age of rat erythrocytes increases in fractions obtained by counter-current distribution in dextran-polyethylene glycol biphasic systems; the enzyme is inhibited by ATP and activated by fructose-1,6-bisphosphate at low phosphoenol pyruvate concentrations. Specific activity does not change in fractions from greater than 95 per cent-rich reticulocytes (anaemic rats); the enzyme is inhibited by ATP but not activated by fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. These results can be explained on the basis of different pyruvate kinase isozymes and suggest that decrease in activity is not affecting regulatory properties during erythrocytes aging.