DETERMINATION OF HEXOKINASE ISOENZYME-I AND ISOENZYME-II COMPOSITION BY RT-PCR - INCREASED HEXOKINASE ISOENZYME-II IN HUMAN RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA

Hexokinase isoenzyme composition has been noted to vary in different t issues and with the developmental and metabolic status of the cell. Un til now these investigations were performed either by isoenzyme electr ophoresis or by column chromatography. In this report we describe an R NA-PCR method to evaluate the percentage of HK-1 and HK-2 in different rat tissues. Furthermore we applied the method to determine if a shif t in isoform composition is detectable in human renal carcinomas compa red to normal kidney tissue. In all of our specimens we were able to d etect a shift toward HK-2 in the carcinoma specimens. We discuss a pos sible role for the detection of the shift in isoenzyme composition as a possible marker to discriminate between normal and malignant specime ns. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.