Distinct tissue specific mitochondrial creatine kinases from chicken brain and striated muscle with a conserved CK framework.

cDNA clones for chicken mitochondrial creatine kinase (Mi-CK) were isolated from a lambda gt11 leg muscle cDNA library and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 6 blocks of extensive homologies with the cytosolic creatine kinases and contained twenty N-terminal amino acids, with characteristic features of part of a mitochondrial presequence. The mature enzyme contained 380 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 43'195. RNA hybridization analysis showed corresponding Mi-CK transcripts in cardiac and skeletal muscle, but not in brain RNA. Within the 30 N-terminal amino acids purified brain Mi-CK contained 10 changes with respect to cardiac Mi-CK. Thus multiple isoproteins of mitochondrial creatine kinases of brain and striated muscle are encoded by multiple mRNA's.