Alkaline And Acid Phosphatase Activity In Postauricular Skin And Cholesteatoma Epithelium

Abstract

Results are reported on quantitative and electrophoretic analyses of alkaline and acid phos-phatase activity in cholesteatoma epithelium and postauricular skin. The activity of these two enzymes was significantly higher in the former than in the latter. Only one isoenzyme band with a mobility of α₂globulins was found for alkaline phosphatase and another with a mobility of α_l-globulin for acid phosphatase in both tissues. The results prove that acid phosphatase plays an important part in keratinization and that the earlier reports of absence of alkaline phosphatase in squamous epithelium were due to the inhibitory effect of cysteine.