Purification and N-terminal amino acid sequence of the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase from human osteoclastoma: evidence for a single structure

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type-5 was purified to apparent homogeneity from human osteoclastomas by sequential chromatography on CM-Sepharose, Phenyl-Sepharose, concanavalin A-Sepharose, FPLC Superose-12, and FPLC Mono-S. The purification over the original tissue extract was 1167-fold, with a yield of 16%. An identity in the N-terminal amino acid sequence and Mr was found between this enzyme and two type-5 tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases isolated from hairy cell leukemia spleen. However, they appeared to be different as assessed by amino acid composition. In contrast to a previous report, no evidence was found for two subunits of the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase.