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Blood, Vol. 92 No. 2 (July 15), 1998:
pp. 647-652
Six Previously Undescribed Pyruvate Kinase Mutations Causing
Enzyme Deficiency
By
Anna Demina,
Kottayil I. Varughese,
José Barbot,
Linda Forman, and
Ernest Beutler
From the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The
Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA; and the Serviço de
Hematologia, Hospital Central Especializado, de Crianças Maria
Pia, Rua da Boavista, Porto, Portugal.
 |
ABSTRACT |
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency is the most common cause of
hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia. We present 6 previously
undescribed mutations of the PKLR gene associated with enzyme
deficiency located at cDNA nt 476 G T
(159Gly Val), 884 C T
(295Ala Val), 943 G A
(315Glu Lys), 1022 G A
(341Gly Asp), 1511 G T
(504Arg Leu), and 1528 C T
(510Arg Ter). Two of these mutations are near the
substrate binding site: the 315Glu Lys (943A)
mutation may be involved in Mg2+ binding and
159Gly Val (476T) mutation has a possible effect
on ADP binding. Four of six mutations produce deduced changes in the
shape of the molecule. Two of these mutations,
504Arg Leu (1511T) and
510Arg Ter (1528T), are located at the interface
of domains A and C. One of them (510Arg Ter) is a
deletion of the C-terminal residues affecting the integrity of the
protein. The 504Arg Leu mutation eliminates a
stabilizing interaction between domains A and C. Changes in amino acid
341(nt 1022) from Gly to Asp cause local perturbations. The mutation
295Ala Val (884T) might affect the way pyruvate
kinase interacts with other molecules. We review previously described
mutations and conclude that there is not yet sufficient data to allow
us to draw conclusions regarding genotype/phenotype relationship.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
PYRUVATE KINASE (PK) is the glycolytic
enzyme that catalyzes the formation of Mg-ATP by transfer of a
phosphate group from phosphoenol pyruvate to Mg-ADP in the
presence of
potassium:
Four PK isoenzymes are present in mammalian tissues: M1 (in skeletal
muscle), M2 (in kidney, adipose tissue, and lungs), L (in liver), and R
(in red blood cells). Each of these isoenzymes have different kinetic
properties. The M1 isoenzyme has predominantly hyperbolic
Michaelis-Menten kinetics and isoenzymes M2, L, and R are all
allosterically regulated. The four different types of PK enzyme are
products of only two PK genes in humans and rats (PKLR and
PKM). The PKM1 and PKM2 enzymes are formed from the PKM gene by
alternative splicing. PKL and PKR are products of the other
pyruvate kinase gene (PKLR), transcribed by two different, tissue-specific promoters. In the case of the liver enzyme (PKL), exon
2 but not exon 1 is present in the processed transcript; in the red
blood cell enzyme (PKR), exon 1, but not 2, is
represented.1 Because the PKLR gene is expressed in
liver and in erythrocytes, whereas the PKM gene is
expressed in muscle, it is mutations in the PKLR gene that lead
to erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency and hemolytic anemia.
 |
PATIENTS AND METHODS |
Seven unrelated subjects were studied. Five had hemolytic anemia,
whereas the other two (no. 2 and 6) had low PK activity, as documented
by the assay of the erythrocyte enzyme. Subject no. 2 is the husband of
a woman with pyruvate kinase deficiency hemolytic anemia, and his red
blood cells were found to have low PK activity in the course of
genetic counseling. Subject no. 6 is the mother of a child who is
transfusion dependent. The mutation found in this subject, 884T, is
known to lower PK activity, but, because this couple have no children,
it is not certain whether it is capable of causing hemolytic anemia.
Clinical data, where available, are presented under the Results.
Genomic DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood using an Applied
Biosystems DNA extracter (Foster City, CA). The oligonucleotides used
for amplification of exons are shown in
Table 1. The polymerase chain reaction was
performed using the following conditions: denaturation at 94°C for
30 seconds, annealing at 58°C for 30 seconds, and extension at
72°C for 30 seconds. Amplified DNA samples were sequenced using the
375A sequencer model (Applied Biosystems, Perkin Elmer, Foster City,
CA). All new mutations were confirmed by restriction endonuclease
digestion (Table 2).
The scientific visualization package Insight (Biosym Inc, San Diego,
CA) was used to view the molecule on the Silicon
Graphics workstation and also to study possible interactions inside and outside of the PK molecule. Figure 1 was produced by using the Molscript software package.2 New human mutations were
placed at the corresponding positions in rabbit muscle PK by using the computer graphics program of Jones et al.3
 |
RESULTS |
The residual enzyme activity and clinical findings are summarized in
Table 1 and previously undescribed PK mutations are shown in Table 2.
Primers used for amplification of the new mutation shown in
Table 3. The location of all 6 new human
mutations are shown on the structure of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase
in Fig 1.

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| Fig 1.
Ribbon representation of the rabbit pyruvate kinase
structure. The shown residue corresponds to human mutations observed in patients. Py is the catalytic site that binds pyruvate. The letters K
and Mg denote the position of potassium and magnesium ions, respectively.
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Subject no. 1. 476T mutation (159Gly Val,
corresponding to rabbit muscle 115Gly).
The patient is a 4-year-old Caucasian female with hemolytic anemia. The
mutation at nt 476 represents a G T transition and 159Gly Val amino acid substitution. This mutation
was confirmed by showing that it produced a Kpn I restriction
site. From the structural point of view, such a change could affect the
ADP binding site. ADP and ATP binding sites are glycine-rich. The small
size of the glycine residues enables the ADP and ATP to approach the
peptide at a range sufficiently short for strong interactions. The
Gly Val mutation can weaken or eliminate ADP binding, which
results in reduction or elimination of the enzyme activity. The second
mutation in this patient is 1529A (510Arg Gln). It
is the most common mutation in the European population, producing
moderate enzyme deficiency with residual activity of about 10% to 25%
of normal and no obvious change in kinetic properties.4 The
amino acid changed corresponds to rabbit muscle amino acid 466. The
mutation is located in the C domain, but interacts with the A domain
carbonyl of Val 395 (human). A possible effect of this mutation can be
a change in disposition of domain C with respect to domain A.
Subject no. 2. 884T mutation (295Ala Val
corresponding to rabbit muscle 251His).
This subject did not have hemolytic anemia. The mutation was found
fortuitously in the course of genetic counseling. The patient has only
1 defective allele and his other allele is normal. The mutation in this
patient was found to be at cDNA nucleotide 884 with a G T
substitution (295Ala Val). This mutation destroys
a Tse I restriction site. Because the red blood cell enzyme
activity was reduced, the mutation must affect either the catalytic
activity or stability of enzyme. In the crystal structure, the side
chain of this residue projects externally from domain A, and it appears
unlikely for this mutation to have a significant effect on the
structure. However, the location of the Val at this position may have
an effect on the interaction of pyruvate kinase with other molecules.
Also, because of the surface location of this amino acid, the increase
in hydrophobicity caused by Ala Val change is
thermodynamically less favorable for protein
folding.
Subject no. 3. 943A mutation (315Glu Lys
corresponding to rabbit muscle 271Glu).
Two siblings with hemolytic anemia were jaundiced in
the neonatal period, but neither had required an exchange transfusion. Both have splenomegaly. As expected, the patient and her brother were
found to have the same genotype. The mutation was a G A
transition at cDNA nt 943 (315Glu Lys). This
mutation creates a Mse I restriction site. The amino acid at
this position is involved in Mg2+ binding, so the change
from Glu to Lys may lead to reduction in catalysis. The other allele
has a previously described 1456T (486Arg Trp)
mutation. The rabbit muscle enzyme amino acid at this position is 442. This mutation is located in the C domain, but points to a space between
A and C domains. Again, this could adversely influence the orientation
of domain C relative to domain A.
Subjects no. 4 and 5. 1022A mutation
(341Gly Asp, corresponding to rabbit muscle
297Gly).
These 2 patients, unrelated but coming from the same region in
Portugal, were found to have the same mutation. One patient, a hydropic
infant, was found to have a 1022A/993A genotype. She is 9 months old
and requires red blood cell transfusions every 3 weeks. The activity of
pyruvate kinase in the blood sample before exchange transfusion was 8.9 IU/g hemoglobin (Hb; normal value, 12.6 IU/g Hb), with
a reticulocyte count of 45%. There was no family history of hydrops or
of hemolytic anemia. The other patient and her sister with the 1022A
mutation carry an as yet unidentified second allele. The older patient
had jaundice at 24 hours of life, requiring phototherapy. Her mean Hb
values are approximately 8.8 g/dL (range, 8.1 to 9.4 g/dL), with
persistent reticulocytosis (mean, 8%). She has no liver or spleen
enlargement. At 14 months, during a febrile episode, her Hb level
decreased to 6.3 g/dL. The PK activity was 2.3 IU/g Hb (normal value,
9.7 IU/g Hb) and the low substrate activity was 1.3 IU/g Hb (normal
value 8.2 IU/g Hb). The sister, who is 3 years younger, had no neonatal
jaundice. Her anemia was diagnosed at 7 months. She had two crises, at
7 and at 22 months, when her Hb value reached 5 mg/dL and she was transfused. Her baseline Hb values are approximately 7.5 g/dL (range,
7.2 to 7.9 g/dL) and her reticulocyte counts ranged between 15% and
20%. PK activity was 3.5 IU/g Hb (normal value, 9.7 IU/g Hb) and the
low substrate activity of PK is 1.2%. The mutation at nt 1022 represents a G A transition predicting a
341Gly Asp amino acid substitution. This mutation
was confirmed with the SfaNI restriction enzyme. The mutation
is located in the A domain on the surface of the molecule.
The previously described 993A (331Asp Gln)
mutation found in the first patient is also in the A domain and has a
strong salt bridge interaction with Arg 298 within a distance of 2.73 Å. Amino acid 331 corresponds to amino acid 287 in rabbit muscle
pyruvate kinase.
Subject no. 6. 1511T mutation (504Arg Leu,
corresponding to rabbit muscle 460Arg).
This patient is a 3-year-old white female with hereditary
nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia. She has hepatosplenomegaly and requires transfusion monthly. This patient was found to be homozygous for a G T substitution at cDNA nucleotide 1511 (504Arg Leu). The presence of this mutation was
confirmed by the loss of an Aci I restriction site. The
mutation is in the C domain, but is located at the interface between
the A and C domains. It forms a salt bridge Asp 281 of domain A. The
mutation to Leu eliminates this strong interaction that holds domain C
to domain A. It is interesting to note that this mutation is located
far away from the active binding site, but is clinically associated
with severe hemolytic anemia.
Subject no. 7. 1528T mutation (510Arg Ter,
corresponding to rabbit muscle 466Arg).
This sample was obtained from the mother of a child with severe
hemolytic anemia. The mutation was found to be a C T
transition at cDNA 1528 nt (510Arg Ter) and was
confirmed by demonstrating the formation of a Dde I restriction
site. The predicted result of this mutation is the formation of a
truncated enzyme with deletion of 63 residues at the C-terminal. As
expected, the other allele of this carrier was normal. Unfortunately,
we have been unable to obtain DNA from either the child or the father.
 |
DISCUSSION |
A considerable number of different red blood cell enzyme defects result
in nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia.5,6 The most common of
these defects are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency
and pyruvate kinase deficiency. In the case of each of these enzyme
deficiencies, a broad range of clinical severity is observed. The
intensity of hemolysis cannot be accurately predicted from the amount
of residual enzyme activity, although complete deficiency of G6PD
appears to be incompatible with life.7,8
In the case of pyruvate kinase deficiency, the situation is even more
complex than in G6PD deficiency. Because the mutation is autosomal,
most of the patients are compound heterozygotes. As a result, five
different tetramers are potentially present in each cell. Moreover, red
blood cell pyruvate kinase has, in addition to the active sites for ADP
and PEP, an allosteric site that binds fructose diphosphate. The
clinical effects of a mutation are probably also modulated by the
extent to which activity of the other pyruvate kinase gene PKM
persists in deficient erythrocytes. The very drastic Gypsy mutation
of PK, in which the penultimate exon is deleted resulting in a
frameshift, is not uncommonly found in the homozygous state with only
moderately severe anemia, but it is not clear how much residual enzyme
is present in the red blood cells of patients with this mutation.
Although such a truncated enzyme might be quite sensitive to
proteolysis and lacks the subunit contact region,9 it might
still have some intracellular activity. On the other hand, the recently
described variant PK Kowloon10 has lost almost one-half of
the polypeptide, and the twin patients who were homozygous for this
defect were transfusion dependent. However, it is not clear in the
latter case whether the normal mRNA that was found in the peripheral
blood may have been derived from transfused reticulocytes.
The clinically most severe manifestation of PK deficiency is hydrops
fetalis, a rare manifestation11,12 that was found in one of
our patients who did, however, survive. This patient was heterozygous
for the 1022A (341Gly Asp) and the 993A
(331Asp Gln) mutations. The
341Gly Asp mutation and the
331Asp Gln mutation are in the A domain. But other
patients with the 943A (315Glu Lys) mutation in
the A domain were not nearly as severely affected.
Pyruvate kinase enzymes are tetramers of identical subunits with about
570 amino acid residues. There is significant homology between the
human red blood cell and the rabbit muscle enzyme, with 68% identity
in a region containing 469 amino acids. The crystal structure of the
human PK has not been solved. However, the coordinates of the cat and
rabbit muscle enzyme are available.13,14 Each subunit is
composed of N-terminal domain and A, B, and C domains. The A domain is
the most highly conserved and domain B is the most
variable.13 Three of the six new mutations (884T, 943A, and
1022A) we describe are located in domain A, one in domain B (476T), and
two in domain C (1511T and 1528T). The three-dimensional structure of
rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase was used to analyze the possible changes
in the molecular structure of the mutant PK enzymes. Based on the
crystal structure of the rabbit enzyme, we are able to make some
deductions regarding the effect of the mutations on the enzyme
activity. However, due to the difference in structure between muscle
and erythrocyte pyruvate kinase, we were able to analyze only the
pyruvate and ADP binding site and not the fructose-1,6-diphosphate
allosteric site. The location of the pyruvate binding site and an
approximate location of the ADP-binding site were deduced
previously.13
The 56 missense point mutations summarized in Table 4
change 50 different codons. Sequence alignment of the human PK with cat
muscle PK and rabbit muscle PK show that the sequence identity among
them is 68%. In this context, it is significant that 45 of the 50 amino acids changed (90%) show identity among the three mammalian PKs.
Twelve of the changed amino acids are arginines. Comparison of human
amino acid sequences with the new mutations described here and
sequences of four other species shows them to be largely conserved at
the amino acid 159, 315, and 341 positions (Fig 2). At
amino acid 504 and 510, they have the same sequence, but regions around
these positions are quite variable. The sequence around the mutation at
human red blood cell amino acid 295 has a different sequence than the
rabbit muscle PK.
Knowing the locations of PK mutations together with the analysis of the
crystal structure may help us in the future to predict more
specifically the clinical manifestation of the pyruvate kinase disease.
Table 5 summarizes the as yet scanty information
relating the clinical phenotype to the mutations that have been
identified. At present, although the number of cases in which the
mutations are known has expanded rapidly, the number of cases in which
clinical manifestations are also described is still quite limited. The fact that most patients are compound heterozygotes for two different PKLR mutations poses further difficulties in interpretation of the effects of specific mutations. Accumulation of further data regarding PK mutations and clinical phenotypes may allow a clearer picture to emerge.
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Table 5.
The Ethnic Origin, Location of Mutations, and Clinical
Manifestation of Patients Previously Reported and From This Study
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FOOTNOTES |
Submitted December 10, 1997;
accepted March 13, 1998.
Supported by National Institutes of Health Grant No. RR00833 and the
Stein Endowment Fund. This is manuscript number 11273-MEM.
Address reprint requests to Ernest Beutler, MD, Department of Molecular
and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N
Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037.
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" is accordance with 18 U.S.C. section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
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