Postnatal changes in canine erythrocyte pyruvate kinase isozymes.

The isozyme pattern of pyruvate kinase in canine erythrocytes changes following birth. These changes have been followed by electrophoretic, immunologic, and kinetic measurements of the isozymes. At birth, a mixture of isozymes is present consisting of the M2 isozyme and hybrid molecules containing M2 and R subunits. With increasing animal age, the content of M2 subunits decreases and the content of R subunits increases. At 6 months of age, the isozyme pattern is indistinguishable from that of adult erythrocytes which contain only the R tetramer. We conclude that there is a switch in erythrocyte pyruvate kinase gene expression during the first 6 months of postnatural life. The existence of hybrid molecules during the switch indicates that both M2 and R genes are expressed within each erythroid precursor cell. The developmental changes in erythrocyte pyruvate kinase are consistent with the role of this enzyme in the regulation of the oxygen-transport function of canine hemoglobin by 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in the postnatal period.