Phosphatase acidic, lysosomal activity marker

Increased acid phosphatase staining, a marker of lysosomal activity... 

The lysosomes are the cell s stomach, serving to break down various cell components. For this purpose, they contain some 40 different types of hydrolases, which are capable of breaking down every type of macromolecule. The marker enzyme of lysosomes is acid phosphatase. The pH optimum of lysosomal enzymes is adjusted to the acid pH value and is also in the range of pH 5. At neutral pH, as in the cytoplasm, lysosomal enzymes only have low levels of activity. This appears to be a mechanism for protecting the cells from digesting themselves in case lysosomal enzymes enter the cytoplasm at any time. In plants and fungi, the cell vacuoles (see p. 43) have the function of lysosomes. 

In another approach subcellular fractionation of human PMNs, stimulated in vitro with phorbol myristate acetate or opsonized zymsan, was performed by rate-zonal centrifugation in sucrose gradients By varying the centrifugal force the NADPH oxidase could be separated from the activities of enzymes in the lysosomal granules but was similar to the distribution of markers for the plasma membrane, aryl phosphatase, alkaline phosphodiesterase I, and acid aryl phosphatase. 

However, the acid phosphatase activity of rat iiver lysosomes has recently been resolved into at least two enzymes [531]. Acid phosphatase is used in subcellular fractionation studies as a marker enzyme for lysosomes. Both acid phosphatase [E.C. 3.1.3.2] and alkaline phosphatase [E.C. 3.1.3.1] activities should not be confused with other specific phosphatases with high specificity requirements for substrate, e.g. glucose-6-phos-phatase, fructose-l,6-diphosphatase, phosphatidate phosphatase. Several assay procedures are available, u.v. estimation can be achieved using phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate and lactate dehydrogenase in an indicator reaction [539]. Colorimetric assays can be based upon the liberation of phenol from phenylphosphate [540], upon the Uberation of phosphate from sodium /3-glycerophosphate [541], upon the hydrolysis of sodium phenolphthalein phosphate [542], or upon the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate [543]. 

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