Liver specific pyruvate kinase in pheasants Phasianus colchicus.

While in chickens, the existence of a liver form of pyruvate kinase is controversial, the liver form of pyruvate kinase in pheasants, murres and puffins is electrophoretically distinct from that in muscle, brain, kidney, lung and small intestine. Although the forms in lungs, muscle, heart, brain and small intestine could not be reliably separated by electrophoresis, the functional characteristics of the lung and muscle forms of pyruvate kinase in the pheasant are distinct and can be classified as K and M isozymes respectively. Our data suggest that these birds possess at least three distinct isozymes of pyruvate kinase.