Common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen expressed on leukemia and melanoma cell lines has neutral endopeptidase activity.

We have previously reported that the amino acid sequence of the common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen (CALLA, CD10) translated from a normal human kidney cDNA clone is identical to that of neutral endopeptidase (NEP, EC 3.4.24.11). In this study, we show that by flow cytometry, a monoclonal antibody (135A3) produced against rabbit NEP reacted selectively with leukemia and melanoma cell lines expressing CALLA on their surface. A glycoprotein of apparent Mr 100,000 was immunoprecipitated from surface labeled NALM-1 leukemia or Mel-1477 melanoma cells with monoclonal antibodies to NEP (135A3) or CALLA (44C10). mRNAs hybridizing to a NEP-specific probe were present in CALLA+ leukemia and melanoma cell lines, but absent from CALLA- lines. NEP enzymatic activity was detected on intact cells from CALLA+ lines, but not CALLA- lines. The activity was blocked by two selective inhibitors of NEP, thiorphan and phosphoramidon. CALLA antigen purified from the NALM-6 leukemic cell line by affinity to 44C10-IgG Sepharose retained a peptidase activity that was completely blocked by thiorphan and phosphoramidon. Thus the CALLA antigen present at the surface of leukemia and melanoma cell lines is an enzymatically active neutral endopeptidase.