Is Pyruvate kinase deficiency inherited ?
How is pyruvate kinase deficiency inherited? Pyruvate kinase deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion, which means that a child must inherit a gene with a disease-causing mutation from both parents to develop the disorder. The gene that causes pyruvate kinase deficiency is called the PKLR gene that is located on chromosome 1q21.  Although the inheritance is clinically autosomal recessive, most affected individuals are compound heterozygous for two different mutant alleles. It is estimated that approximatly 1 in 100 people carry one copy of a disease-causing mutation in the PKLR gene.  Carriers of one non-working PKLR gene usually have moderatly reduced levels of pyruvate kinase activity but do not develop clinical symptoms. It is possible that carriers of a mutant pyruvate kinase genemay have a protective advantage against malaria in areas where the disease is endemic.