Acid phosphatase specificity

A number of allergens from both honey bee and vespid venoms have been cloned and expressed by either Escherichia coli or baculovirus-infected insect cells (table 1) phospholipase Aj [20], hyaluronidase [21], acid phosphatase [13] and Api m6 [14] from honey bee venom, as well as antigen 5 [22], phospholipase A and hyaluronidase [23] from vespid venom, and dipeptidylpeptidases from both bee and Vespula venoms [15, 16]. Their reactivity with human-specific IgE antibodies to the respective allergens has been documented [11-16, 22, 23] and their specificity is superior... 

Red blood cells also contain sufficient acid phenylphospha-tase for mild hemolysis to cause false elevations. Therefore, inhibitors such as ethanol, formaldehyde, copper sulfate> and 1-tartrate have been used to inhibit selectively the enzyme of one or more tissues and enhance the specificity of the test (101). Ethanol is unsuitable because it inhibits the enzyme from erythrocytes and prostate simultaneously, and because it yields serum activities which correlate poorly with prostatic disease. Formaldehyde inhibits the erythrocytic enzyme and has been said to yield clinically satisfactory results. The copoper resistant acid phosphatase of serum is elevated by metastatic carcinoma of the breast, as well as by other metastatic cancers, and is also elevated by a wide variety of non-cancerous diseases. 

Babson proposed a-naphthyl phosphate as an essentially specific substrate for the activity of prostatic acid phosphatase in serum (104). However Marshall, Price, and Amador found that this substrate is not specific for the prostatic enzyme because urine of human females contain 50 times more acid a-naphthyl phosphatase than male serum and 50% as much activity as male urine. Platelets have significant activity and the serum activity can increase to abnormal values following clotting. These workers also observed elevated activities in females with skeletal metastases of the breast. In 50 hospitalized male patients who had no evidence of prostatic cancer and 25 hospitalized female patients, the incidence of false positive results was 12%, a magnitude sufficient to preclude meaningful clinical interpretation (105). 

Roy, A. V. Brown, M. E. and Hayden, J. E. Sodium thymolphthalein monophosphate, a new acid phosphatase substrate with greater specificity for the prostatic enzyme in serum. Clin. Chem. (1971), IJ, 1093-1102. 

Note PCa, prostate cancer WM, white male DES, diethylstilbestrol AR, androgen receptor PSA, prostate specific antigen and PAP, prostatic acid phosphatase. 

Associated with NA depletion from host nuclei was the diminution and deformation of these nuclei, significant depletion of host nucleoskeletal protein lamin b, and significant reductions in levels of host cell RNA, protein and acid phosphatase activity. In contrast, host infiltrating cells showed no such changes, supporting an infected cell-specific effect. These observations support the possibility that NA are synthesized by the parasite and modulate host nuclear functions. However, release of other parasite secretory products, not analysed, might have been inhibited in these experiments also. 

Phosphates of pharmaceutical interest are often monoesters (Sect. 9.3), and the enzymes that are able to hydrolyze them include alkaline and acid phosphatases. Alkaline phosphatase (alkaline phosphomonoesterase, EC 3.1.3.1) is a nonspecific esterase of phosphoric monoesters with an optimal pH for catalysis of ca. 8 [140], In the presence of a phosphate acceptor such as 2-aminoethanol, the enzyme also catalyzes a transphosphorylation reaction involving transfer of the phosphoryl group to the alcohol. Alkaline phosphatase is bound extracellularly to membranes and is widely distributed, in particular in the pancreas, liver, bile, placenta, and osteoplasts. Its specific functions in mammals remain poorly understood, but it seems to play an important role in modulation by osteoplasts of bone mineralization. 

Acid phosphatase (acid phosphomonoesterase, EC 3.1.3.2) also catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphoric acid monoesters but with an acidic pH optimum. It has broad specificity and catalyzes transphosphorylations. Acid phosphatases are a quite heterogeneous group with monomeric, dimeric, larger glycoprotein, and membrane-bound forms. Acid phosphatase activity is present in the heart, liver, bone, prostate, and seminal fluid. Prostate carcinomas produce large quantities of acid phosphatase, and the enzyme is, therefore, used as a biomarker [141]. 

Phosphatases are numerous and important enzymes (see also Chapt. 2). They are classified as phosphoric monoester hydrolases (phosphatases, EC 3.1.3), phosphoric diester hydrolases (phosphodiesterases, EC 3.1.4), triphosphoric monoester hydrolases (EC 3.1.5), diphosphoric monoester hydrolases (pyrophosphatases, EC 3.1.7), and phosphoric triester hydrolases (EC 3.1.8) [21] [63]. Most of these enzymes have a narrow substrate specificity restricted to endogenous compounds. However, some of these enzymes are active toward xenobiotic organophosphorus compounds, e.g., alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1), acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2), aryldialkylphosphatase (para-oxonase (PON1), EC 3.1.8.1) and diisopropyl-fluorophosphatase (tabunase, somanase, EC 3.1.8.2) [64 - 70]. However, such a classification is far from definitive and will evolve with further biochemical findings. Thus, a good correlation has been found in human blood samples between somanase and sarinase activities on the one hand, and paraoxonase (PON1) type Q isozyme concentrations on the other [71]. 

Provenge is a cancer vaccine using cell therapy technique. Dendritic cells are removed from patients. These cells are treated with the prostate-specific antigen prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), which is present in 95% of prostate cancer cases. The activated dendritic cells are returned to the patients and they stimulate the T cells to destroy cancer cells expressing the PAP, thus treating the tumor. 

Increased acid phosphatase in specific hmg areas determined histochemically... 

Prostate adenocarcinomas Prostate specific antigen (PSA) (25) Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP)... 

Acid phosphatase retains its activity for a long period and hence is useful in forensic science to detect semen but has now been superseded by DNA fingerprinting. The activity in blood was used in the diagnosis of prostatic cancer but was superseded by PSA (prostate specific antigen). 

Prostate-specific anfigen, acid phosphatase, alk phosphatase... 

Milk acid phosphatase has been purified to homogeneity by various forms of chromaotgraphy, including affinity chromatography purification up to 40 000-fold has been claimed. The enzyme shows broad specificity on phosphate esters, including the phosphoseryl residues of casein. It has a molecular mass of about 42 kDa and an isoelectric point of 7.9. Many forms of inorganic phosphate are competitive inhibitors, while fluoride is a powerful non-competitive inhibitor. The enzyme is a glycoprotein and its amino acid composition is known. Milk acid phosphatase shows some similarity to the phosphoprotein phosphatase of spleen but differs from it in a number of characteristics. 

Acid phosphatases are produced by erythrocytes, the liver, kidney, spleen, and prostate gland. The enzyme of the prostate gland is clinically important, because its increased activity in the blood can be an indication of prostate cancer. The phosphatase from the prostate gland is strongly inhibited by tartrate ion, but acid phosphatases from other tissues are not. How can this information be used to develop a specific procedure for measuring the activity of the acid phosphatase of the prostate gland in human blood serum ... 

In maize-root tips, high specific activities of/ -D-galactosidase, a- and jff-D-glucosidase, N-acetyl-/ -D-glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase, and phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.1) are found in the cell-wall fraction.246... 

Two major difficulties must be considered in any assay for acid phosphatase. The enzyme is subject to surface inactivation (23, 24). Accordingly, reproducible initial hydrolytic rates are not always obtained, and the kinetic behavior should be checked in any new assay developed. Discrepancies between the amount of inorganic phosphate produced and phenol liberated from phenolic phosphates may be substantial if extensive phosphotransferase activity occurs because of phosphoryl acceptor action on the part of hydroxylic buffers or other constituents of the incubation mixture (25, 26). Fluorogenic assays have been developed with very high sensitivity (27). Reference will be made to particular assays in the discussion of the specific enzymes. 

Group Substrate Normal range (units/100 ml) Serum plus prostatic acid phosphatase Serum plus erythrocytic acid phosphatase Heated serum Relative specificity for prostatic acid phosphatase... 

A spectrofluorometric method for the estimation of acid phosphatase has been devised. It uses a-naphthyl phosphate as substrate thus, it is somewhat more specific for prostatic acid phosphatase than most (37). 

Brightwell and Tappel (90) purified rat liver acid phosphatase from a lysosomal fraction by DEAE and CM-cellulose chromatography. Table XX (90) shows the specificity of the lysosomal enzyme. 

Blood Alkaline phosphatase (bone-specific) Osteocalcin Procollagen type I carboxy-terminal propeptide (PICP) Procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP) Procollagen type III amino-terminal propeptide (PIIINP) Blood Acid phosphatase (acid-resistant) Type I collagen carboxy-terminal telopeptide (ICTP) Urine Calcium Hydroxyproline Cross-linked peptides (pyridinium and deoxypyridinoline)... 

Takayama TK, McMullen BA, Nelson PS, Matsumura M, Fujikawa K. Characterization of hK4 (Prostase), a prostate-specific serine protease Activation of the precursor of prostate specific antigen (pro-PSA) and single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator and degradation of prostatic acid phosphatase. Biochemistry 2001 40 15341-15348. 

Two methods commonly used to test for seminal stains are the acid phosphatase test and the Florence test. Both tests were developed on the basis of the reaction of an introduced compound with substances that are present in seminal fluid. Positive results for these tests are either the formation of a characteristic color or the formation of specific crystals. Since the substances tested are also present in other body fluids and in vegetable juices, the specificity of these tests has been questioned (lh). 

Forensic biochemists perform blood typing and enzyme tests on body fluids in cases involving assault, and also in paternity cases. Even tiny samples of blood, saliva, or semen may be separated by electrophoresis and subjected to enzymatic analysis. In the case of rape, traces of semen found on clothing or on the person become important evidence the composition of semen varies from person to person. Some individuals excrete enzymes such as acid phosphatase and other proteins that are seldom found outside seminal fluid, and these chemical substances are characteristic of their semen samples. The presence of semen may be shown by the microscopic analysis for the presence of spermatozoa or by a positive test for prostate specific antigen. 

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