Pyruvate kinase isozymes M2 (PKM2)

Pyruvate Kinase M2 (M2-PK) is strongly overexpressed in a metabolic state specific for a variety of tumor cells. Recent reports indicate that Tumor M2-PK is a marker for renal cell carcinoma and. lung cancer. It has also been investigated in. pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer with promising results.

M2-PK is encoded by the gene PKM2 which does also encode for the pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type M1 (PKM1 or M1-PK). The M-gene consists of 12 exons and 11 introns. PKM1 and PKM2 are different splicing products of the M-gene (exon 9 for PKM1 and exon 10 for PKM2) and solely differ in 23 amino acids within a 56 amino acid stretch (aa 378-434) at their carboxy terminus.