Multiple forms of acid phosphatase activity in Gaucher's disease

Although the primary genetic defect in all individuals with Gaucher's disease is a deficiency in glucocerebrosidase activity, the finding of marked elevations in splenic and serum acid phosphatase activity is almost as consistent a finding. Gaucher spleen and serum contain at least two forms of acid phosphatase that can be readily separated by chromatography on columns containing the cation exchange resin Sulphopropyl Sephadex. The major species of acid phosphatase (designated SP-I) contained in Triton X-100 (1% v/v) extracts of Gaucher spleen accounts for 65%--95% of the total activity and has the following properties: (1) it does not bind to the cation exchange column; (2) it exhibitis a pH optimum of 4.5--5.0; (3) it is inhibited by sodium fluoride (15 mM), L(+)-tartaric acid (20 mM), and beta-mercaptoethanol (2.1 M), and (4) it is resistant to inhibition by sodium dithionite (10 mM). The minor acid phosphatase activity (designated SP-II) present in extracts of Gaucher spleen has properties similar to those of the major species of acid phosphatase activity contained in serum from patients with Gaucher's disease: (1) it binds firmly to cation exchange columns (eluted by 0.5 M sodium chloride); (2) it exhibits a pH optimum of 5.0--6.0; (3) it is inhibited by sodium fluoride and sodium dithionite; and (4) it is resistant to inhibition by beta-mercaptoethanol (2.1 M) and L(+)-tartaric acid (20 mM). In addition, a second form of acid phosphatase that is tartrate resistant was found to be elevated in Gaucher serum. This form of serum acid phosphatase did not bind to Sulphopropyl Sephadex, was found to be significantly resistant to beta-mercaptoethanol (2.1 M), and was only partially inhibited by sodium dithionite (10 mM). The findings reported here indicate that at least three distinct forms of acid phosphatase activity are elevated in Gaucher's disease. Furthermore, the minor acid phosphatase activity contained in spleen homogenates has properties very similar to those of the major acid phosphatase activity observed to be present in serum of patients with Gaucher's disease. These data indicate that simple spleen spillage cannot account for the increased levels of serum acid phosphatase in patients with Gaucher's disease.