The phosphatase activities of type 2A, type 1 and type 2C protein phosphatase preparations were measured against p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP), a commonly used substrate for alkaline phosphatases. Of the three types of phosphatase examined, the type 2A phosphatase exhibited an especially high pNPP phosphatase activity (119 +/- 8 mumol/min per mg of protein; n = 4). This activity was strongly inhibited by pico- to nano-molar concentrations of okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of type 2A and type 1 protein phosphatases that has been shown to have no effect on alkaline phosphatases. The dose-inhibition relationship was markedly shifted to the right and became steeper by increasing the concentration of the enzyme, as predicted by the kinetic theory for tightly binding inhibitors. The enzyme concentration estimated by titration with okadaic acid agreed well with that calculated from the protein content and the molecular mass for type 2A phosphatase. These results strongly support the idea that the pNPP phosphatase activity is intrinsic to type 2A protein phosphatase and is not due to contamination by alkaline phosphatases. pNPP was also dephosphorylated, but at much lower rates, by type 1 phosphatase (6.4 +/- 8 nmol/min per mg of protein; n = 4) and type 2C phosphatase (1.2 +/- 3 nmol/min per mg of protein; n = 4). The pNPP phosphatase activity of the type 1 phosphatase preparation shows a susceptibility to okadaic acid similar to that of its protein phosphatase activity, whereas it was interestingly very resistant to inhibitor 2, an endogenous inhibitory factor of type 1 protein phosphatase. The pNPP phosphatase activity of type 2C phosphatase preparation was not affected by up to 10 microM-okadaic acid.