Expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase in bone marrow macrophages.

Bone marrow macrophages were found to express tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) under pathological conditions. In chronic granulocytic leukemia and metastatic carcinoma in the bone marrow this phenomenon was striking, all or almost all of the marrow macrophages being reactive. In other conditions, such as hypertransfusion or chemotherapy-induced marrow aplasia, the phenomenon did occur but was clearly a minor one. These observations indicate that tissue macrophages may become TRAP positive under the effect of unknown stimuli operating in certain pathological conditions. The results further suggest that the synthesis of the isoenzyme of acid phosphatase resistant to tartrate inhibition is a marker of macrophage activation rather than of differentiation towards particular subsets of the mononuclear phagocyte system.