Role of creatine kinase isoenzymes on muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance: genetic and molecular evidence.

The ability to perform well in activities that require muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance is a trait influenced, in a considerable part, by the genetic makeup of individuals. Early studies of performance and recent scans of the human genome have pointed at various candidate genes responsible for the heterogeneity of these phenotypes within the population. Among these are the genes for the various creatine kinase (CK) isoenzyme subunits. CK and phosphocreatine (PCr) form an important metabolic system for temporal and spatial energy buffering in cells with large variations in energy demand. The different CK isoenzyme subunits (CK-M and CK-B) are differentially expressed in the tissues of the body. Although CK-M is the predominant form in both skeletal and cardiac muscle, CK-B is expressed to a greater extent in heart than in skeletal muscle.