Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) detection
Bone metabolism is mutually balanced between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Two enzymes involved in bone metabolism, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), are used as markers of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, respectively.
TRACP is expressed in osteoclasts, neurons, and activated macrophages. Overexpression of TRACP has been associated with disease states such as Gaucher's disease, B- and T-cell leukemias, and osteoporosis. TRACP and ALP staining enables effective discrimination between osteoblast and osteoclast bone cells.
Bone metabolism is mutually balanced between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Two enzymes involved in bone metabolism, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), are used as markers of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, respectively.
TRACP is expressed in osteoclasts, neurons, and activated macrophages. Overexpression of TRACP has been associated with disease states such as Gaucher's disease, B- and T-cell leukemias, and osteoporosis. TRACP and ALP staining enables effective discrimination between osteoblast and osteoclast bone cells.
Alternate name for TRACP include TRAP, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5, TR-AP, trATPase, acid phosphatase type V, type 5 acid phosphatase, and tartrate-resistant acid ATPase.
Alternate names for ALP include AKP2, alkaline phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase liver/bone/kidney isozyme antibody, Alpl, AP-TNAP, HOPS, Liver/bone/kidney isozyme, PHOA, PPBT_HUMAN, tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, tissue nonspecific ALP, tissue-nonspecific isozyme, TNAP, and TNSALP.
Kits for TRACP and ALP detection
The TRACP and ALP Double Stain Kit (Cat. # MK300) combines the non-soluble, chromogenic substrates for ALP and TRACP with a nuclear staining reagent. This enables osteoblast and osteoclast detection due to the simultaneous cell staining for both alkaline and acid phosphatase activities. Detection of both enzyme markers provides a means to study the differentiation of bone cells. The kit substrates are provided as premixed reagents for ease of use. Sufficient reagents are supplied for staining approximately five culture plates (24-well format).
An alternative option for the study of bone metabolism is the TRACP and ALP Assay Kit (Cat. # MK301), which contains a soluble substrate that is quickly assayed by absorbance measurement. Either bone metabolism kit may be selected depending on user interest.
The TRACP and ALP Assay Kit allows for the simultaneous detection of both ACP (acid phosphatase) and ALP (alkaline phosphatase) enzymes via pNPP (p-nitro-phenyl phosphate) substrate. The addition of tartaric acid into the ACP assay allows for differentiation of TRACP from ALP activity. Because the TRACP and ALP Assay Kit utilizes an aqueous substrate, quantification of enzyme activities can be accomplished quickly by measuring the absorbance of the reactant.
Antibody for ALP detection
The Bone Specific Alkaline Phosphatase (Rat), Polyclonal antibody (Cat. # M190) was raised against a conjugate of the KLH immunogen and the peptide (20–49), which is highly conserved between human and rat bone-specific ALP. The antibody is suitable for Western blot (WB) analysis (in non-reducing conditions) and immunohistochemical (IHC) detection of paraffin-embedded tissue sections (no antigen retrieval needed).
Overview
| TRACP and ALP | MK300 | Differential staining of TRAP and ALP activities in bone cells Osteoblast and osteoclast detection |
Human, Mouse, Rat, Rabbit | Double stain of intracellular TRACP and ALP plus nuclear stain | Staining kit for bone‑related cells distinguishes activity of osteoblasts (ALP) from that of osteoclasts (TRACP) |
| TRACP and ALP | MK301 | Detection of TRACP and ALP enzyme activities | Human, Rabbit | Soluble substrates provided to assay TRACP and ALP activities | Colorimetric assay kit for bone-related cells distinguishes activity of osteoblasts (ALP) from that of osteoclasts (TRACP) |
| Antigen/peptide | Cat. # | Application | Species | (Clone) and source | Cross‑reactivity |
| ALP (20–49) conjugated with KLH | M190 | IHC, WB | Rat | (n/a) Rabbit IgG PoAb |
Cross-reacts with mouse ALP Slight cross‑reactivity with human ALP |
More Information
Please see the product's Certificate of Analysis for information about storage conditions, product components, and technical specifications. Please see the Kit Components List to determine kit components. Certificates of Analysis and Kit Components Lists are located under the Documents tab.
Takara Bio USA, Inc.
United States/Canada: +1.800.662.2566 • Asia Pacific: +1.650.919.7300 • Europe: +33.(0)1.3904.6880 • Japan: +81.(0)77.565.6999
FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE IN DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES. © 2025 Takara Bio Inc. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks are the property of Takara Bio Inc. or its affiliate(s) in the U.S. and/or other countries or their respective owners. Certain trademarks may not be registered in all jurisdictions. Additional product, intellectual property, and restricted use information is available at takarabio.com.
