Immunochemical studies of prostatic acid phosphatase.

Immunologic specificity of the prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and the kinetics of the PAP-anti-PAP antibody interactions were studied in detail. Antigenic identity of electrophoretic isozymes of PAP was established in this study. Counterimmunoelectrophoretic assay, radioimmunoassay, and immunofluorescence technique were developed to detect PAP and PAP-synthesizing cells. These techniques were applied to the determination of serum PAP levels and to the identification of metastatic prostate cancer cells in biopsies.