Biochemical characterization of the conduction system of the bovine heart.

The enzyme level profiles of some regulatory enzymes and the isozyme patterns of some marker enzymes in bovine adult specialized, adult ordinary and fetal ordinary heart muscles were examined in order to biochemically characterize specialized heart muscle. The activities of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in adult specialized heart muscle were significantly higher than those in adult ordinary heart muscle, but were similar to those in fetal ordinary heart muscle. The carnitine content and carnitine acetyltransferase activity in adult specialized heart muscle were lower than those in adult ordinary heart muscle. The isozyme patterns of creatine kinase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase and pyruvate kinase in adult specialized heart muscle resembled those in fetal ordinary heart muscle. These results indicate that adult specialized heart muscle has the biochemical characteristics of fetal ordinary heart muscle.