Discrimination between neuronal and glial cell tumours by pyruvate kinase electrophoresis.

Pyruvate kinase is a tetrameric enzyme, of which different isozymes are known (M, K and L). In normal human brain of adults mainly the M4 type is found with little or none of type K4 or the hybrid K3M. In gliomas of adults as well as in children a shift in the synthesis of isozymes of pyruvate kinase occurs from the M-towards the K-type. In these tumours the hybrid K2M2 is not expressed. In gliomas of children only a spur of K2M2 is found. There exists a peculiar difference in isozyme distribution of pyruvate kinase between gliomas on the one hand and neuro-, retino- and medulloblastomas on the other. In the latter group of tumours often the whole isozyme set is observed and in all cases the hybrids K2M2 and KM3 are found. These findings provide enzymological criteria for the discrimination of neuronal tumours from glial-cell tumours.