Post-synthetic changes in creatine kinase isozymes (EC 2.7.3.2).

1. An in vivo change from creatine kinase MM3 into MM2 and finally into MM1 was described earlier in sera of patients during a post-myocardial infarction period. The same change takes place in vitro. 2. Parallel to this change, a turn-over from the MB2 isozyme into the MB1 form can be detected in vitro. 3. Immediately after the mixing of various extracts from heart tissue and other muscles with a serum with low creatine kinase activity, only MM3 and MB2 can be detected. MM1, MM2 and MB1 are not present in muscle cells. From these three observations it can be concluded that the phenomenon of the three MM and two MB isozymes is postsynthetic (i.e. epigenetic). Furthermore evidence is presented that the change from MM3 into MM1 is brought about by a thermolabile substance. This factor transforms one of the two M2 chains, present in the MM3 form, into a M1 chain. This results in the MM2 isozyme. Later on the second M2 chain is also transformed, resulting in the MM1 isozyme. The same mechanism is proposed for the observed change in MB pattern.