Prostatic acid phosphatase, a neglected ectonucleotidase

Two recent papers reveal that the soluble and secreted prostatic acid phosphatase, an enzyme that has long served as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer, has a membrane-bound splice variant. This enzyme exhibits ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity, is widely distributed, and implicated in the formation of chronic pain. While prostatic acid phosphatase hydrolyzes phosphomonoesters other than 5'-nucleoside monophosphates these novel data suggest that, in addition to ecto-5'-nucleotidase and the alkaline phosphatases, prostatic acid phosphatase must be taken into account in future studies on extracellular adenosine production.