Separation of acid phosphatases in the rat ventral prostate by gel filtration, isoelectric focusing, and chromatofocusing.

Acid phosphatases of the rat ventral prostate were fractionated by gel filtration (GF) on Sepharose 6B, isoelectric focusing (IEF), and chromatofocusing (CF). In GF three activity peaks (GF-1, GF-2, GF-3) were disclosed. They showed some differences in substrate preference when six substrates (p-nitrophenyl phosphate; p-NPP; phenolphthalein phosphate, Phe-P; thymolphthalein phosphate, Tym-P; alpha-naphthyl phosphate, alpha-NP; beta-naphthyl phosphate, beta-NP; naphthol ASBI phosphate, N-ASBI-P) were tested. Differences were also encountered in their sensitivity to tartrate and fluoride. IEF gave seven bands at different pI values (8.3, 8.1, 7.9, 7.1, 6.4, 5.5, and 5.0) with alpha-NP and beta-NP but only four with N-ASBI-P. Four of the bands (8.3, 8.1, 7.9, 5.5) were sensitive to tartrate. In CF eight activity peaks (CF-1 to CF-8) were resolved with the six substrates. They differed from each other in pI values, pH optima, substrate preference, and modifier characteristics. Peaks CF-1 (pI 8.3, pH 5.5), CF-2 (pI 8.1, pH 4.2) and CF-3 (pI 7.9, pH 4.2) had a large substrate spectrum and high sensitivity to tartrate and fluoride. CF-4 (pI 7.1, pH 6.0) and CF-7 (pI 5.5, pH 4.2) were low in activity, preferred alpha-NP as substrate, and were moderately sensitive to tartrate. CF-5 (pI 6.4, pH 5.5) and CF-8 (pI 5.0, pH 5.0) were able to hydrolyse all substrates tested with moderate inhibition by tartrate. CF-6 (pI 6.0, pH 5.0) showed a relative preference for p-NPP and Phe-P with no hydrolysis of N-ASBI-P and Tym-P. Of these activities CF-6 and CF-7 were also clearly activated by Co2+. Peaks CF-6 and CF-7 appeared the most sensitive to p-chloromercuribenzoate. It is concluded that activities CF-1, CF-2, and CF-3 are lysosomal isoenzymes with minor structural differences. The others are possibly all nonlysosomal with greater biochemical differences. Some of them apparently represent the secretory form(s) of acid phosphatase in the rat ventral prostate.