The cells from 87 leukemia-lymphoma cell lines, 14 B-lymphoblastoid cell lines, 459 cases of leukemialymphoma, normal specimens, 22 leukemia-lymphoma cell lines treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) and 14 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) treated with TPA were analyzed for the expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TracP) isoenzyme separated by isoelectric focusing. The TracP isoenzyme was seen in the following leukemialymphoma cell lines: 4 of 30 T-cell, 2 of 35 B-cell, 1 of 6 non-T/non-B-cell, I of 8 myelomonocytic, 3 of 4 erythroleukemia, and 3 of 4 Hodgkin's disease-derived cell lines. The expression of the TracP band could be induced by treatment with TPA in 3 myelomonocytic leukemia cell lines. Among the different types of leukemia-lymphoma cells freshly obtained from patients, the TracP isoenzyme was detected a t a high incidence in cases of B-CLL, hairy cell leukemia (HCL), and B-lymphoma. Of the myeloid leukemias, 10% to 20% displayed the TracP isoenzyme. TracP positivity was detected in the peripheral blood, tonsil, bone marrow, spleen, and liver obtained from healthy donors, but not in the thymus. The expression of the TracP band could be newly induced by TPA in cases of CLL and in cases of CML. It is concluded that TracP activity is not specific for HCL, but is found at high incidences in cases of HCL, B-CLL and B-lymphoma. The TracP isoenzyme is not expressed by very immature lymphoid leukemia cells, but by cells arrested at later stages of differentiation of the Tor B-cell lineage, and by some myeloid cells.
Cancer 57:1776-1782. 1986.
N I 970 Li 121 a/. described an acid phosphatase isoenzyme I separated by conventional polyactylamide gel electrophoresis which was resistant to inhibition by tartrate whereas all other isoenzymes were sensitive to this agent. This tartrate-resistant isoenzyme appeared to be characteristic for cells of leukemic reticuloendotheliosis (hairy cell leukemia [HCL]).1-3 The cytochemical acid phospha-From *the