Existence of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity in differentiated lymphoid leukemic cells.

Acid phosphatase (AcP) in neoplastic cells from various lymphoid leukemias was examined. In the cytochemical studies, tartrate-resistant AcP (T-rAcP) activity was observed in the neoplastic cells from well-differentiated lymphoid leukemias such as adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (T-CLL), and hairy-cell leukemia (HCL). T-rAcP activity was also detected in a small number of leukemic cells obtained from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), while it was not detected in the neoplastic cells from null-ALL, macroglobulinemia, and multiple myeloma (MM). In the electrophoretical studies, fraction 1 (F-1), F-3, F-3b, and F-4 were completely tartrate-sensitive, while F-2 was partially resistant and F-5 was completely resistant. T-rAcP activity (F-5) was observed in ATL cells, B-CLL cells, and HCL cells, while it was not detected in ALL cells, macroglobulinemia cells, and MM cells. The present study indicates that T-rAcP activity is observed not only in HCL cells but also in the well-differentiated lymphoid cells such as ATL cells, B-CLL and T-CLL cells except the most highly differentiated forms of B-cells of MM and macroglobulinemia.