Creatine kinase isozyme expression in prenatal rat heart

Abstract

The distribution pattern of creatine kinase (E.C 2.7.3.2) isozymes in prenatal rat heart and skeletal muscle was studied by immunohistochemistry. Between embryonic day (ED) 12-18, creatine kinase M (CK-M) is heterogeneously expressed in the heart: a pronounced staining of CK-M is first observed in the outflow tract and the trabeculae of the right ventricle (ED12-14), and subsequently in the venous valves, the interatrial septum and the sinoatrial node. From ED18 onwards, a homogeneous expression of CK-M is observed due to an increase in isozyme concentration in the remaining part of the myocardium. By contrast, the developmental appearance of creatine kinase B (CK-B) occurs almost homogeneously throughout the heart between ED11-14. Thereafter, a decrease of the CK-B is first observed in the inflow tract (in particular in the sinoatrial node), in the inner part of those atrial walls that are adjacent to the atrioventricular junction, and temporarily in a band in the upper part of the interventricular septum. From ED18, a selective disappearance of CK-B is found in the papillary muscle of the left ventricle. At birth, a considerable amount of CK-B remains present in the ventricular walls. Although some of the stage-dependent regional differences in expression of the creatine kinase isozymes, in particular those of the M-subunit, are shared by other mammalian and avian species, their significance for the developmental changes in the physiology of the heart is speculative at present.

Spatial distribution of “tissue‐specific” antigens in the developing human heart and skeletal muscle. I. An immunohistochemical analysis of creatine kinase isoenzyme expression patterns

“…During the late embryonic and early fetal stage, CK-M expression around the developing semilunar valves of aorta and pulmonary trunk is very high. A similar phenomenon is also observed in chicken (Lamers et al, 1989) and rat (Hasselbaink et al, 1990) embryos. In addition, a high expression of j3-MHC is observed in the myocardium of the OFT of the human heart (Wessels et al, 1990b).…”

“…several mammalian species during fetal life. For the developing rat heart it has been demonstrated that around the day 11 of development (i.e., Carnegie stage 12), the CK-B isoform is the first isoform to appear (Ziter, 1974;Hasselbaink et al, 1990). At day 12 of development (i.e., Carnegie stage 13) the presence of CK-M can be demonstrated.…”

“…Also in the developing mammalian skeletal muscle, the CK-B appears first. In rat, CK-B expression is first observed at 14 days of development (i.e., Carnegie stage 151, whereas the expression of CK-M can first be detected at 16 days of development (i.e., Carnegie stage 17; Hasselbaink et al, 1990). Ten days after birth the adult isoenzyme composition is achieved (Ziter, 1974).…”

Spatial distribution of “tissue‐specific” antigens in the developing human heart and skeletal muscle III. An immunohistochemical analysis of the distribution of the neural tissue antigen G1N2 in the embryonic heart; implications for the development of the atrioventricular conduction system

“…In earlier investigations on the development of atrioventricular specialized tissue in the human heart, Anderson and Taylor (1972) demonstrated that cholinesterase was expressed in the myocardium of the atrioventricular junction. Studies on other mammalian species have shown that the junctional areas between the different segments of the embryonic and fetal heart are also characterized by the expression of acetylcholinesterase (Lamers et al, 1987), by a low level of creatine kinase (Hasselbaink et al, 1990) and, in addition, by the expression of a neurofilament-like protein (Gorza et al, 1988, Gorza andVitadello, 1989) and the virtual absence of connexin-43, a main component of fast-conducting gap-junctions (Van Kempen et al, 1991). These observations suggest an important role for these areas in the regulation in the propagation of the cardiac impulse in early developmental stages.…”

Carbonic anhydrase II expression pattern in mouse embryonic and fetal heart

“…Muscle-specific creatine kinase (MCK) gene transcripts were found in the wall of only one ventricle in the mouse (Lyons 1994) and MCK isozyme was expressed first in the outflow tract and right ventricle in the rat (Hasselbaink et al 1990). In cardiac actin transgenes, expression was lower in the right ventricle than in the left ventricle (Biben et al 1996).…”