Comparison of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase in a giant cell bone tumor and a spleen infiltrated with hairy cells.

Acid phosphatase (E.C.3.1.3.2) in a giant cell bone tumor and a spleen infiltrated with hairy cells was extracted by citrate buffer and then by 0.3 mol/L NaCl. The cationic acid phosphatase in the crude extract was isolated by CM-cellulose chromatography, and further separated by high pressure liquid chromatography. The majority of the tartrate resistant acid phosphatase in the hairy cell spleen was unabsorbed on CM-cellulose and was insensitive to iron. A much larger portion of the acid phosphatase in the bone tumor, than in the spleen, was cationic and was eluted from the column by 0.8 mol/L NaCl. The cationic acid phosphatase was further separated into consecutive peaks of acid phosphatases with different sensitivity to iron. A major portion of acid phosphatase in the giant cell bone tumor was enhanced by iron, while the amounts of iron-enhanced and iron-insensitive acid phosphatase were about the same in the spleen. The differences of the phosphatases in these two types of pathologic specimens indicate the occurrence of two types of enzymes with different biological significance.