Isoform-specific deletion of PKM2 constrains tumor initiation in a mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma

Background Alternative splicing of the Pkm gene product generates the PKM1 and PKM2 isoforms of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase. PKM2 expression is associated with embryogenesis, tissue regeneration, and cancer. PKM2 is also the pyruvate kinase isoform expressed in most wild-type adult tissues, with PKM1 restricted primarily to skeletal muscle, heart, and brain. To interrogate the functional requirement for PKM2 during tumor initiation in an autochthonous mouse model for soft tissue sarcoma (STS), we used a conditional Pkm2 allele (Pkm2 fl ) to abolish PKM2 expression.