Role of creatine phosphokinase in cellular function and metabolism

This paper summarizes the data concerning the role of the creatine phosphokinase system in muscle cells with main attention to the cardiac muscle. Creatine phosphokinase isoenzymes play a key role in the intracellular energy transport from mitochondria to myofibrils and other sites of energy utilization. Due to the existence of the creatine phosphate pathway for energy transport, intracellular creatine phosphate concentration is apparently an important regulatory factor for muscle contraction which influences the contractile force by determining the rate of regeneration of ATP directly available for myosin ATPase, and at the same time controls the activator calcium entry into the myoplasm across the surface membrane of the cells.