IMMUNOCYTOCHEMISTRY OF ANNULATE LAMELLAE - POTENTIAL CELL BIOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR STUDIES OF CELL-DIFFERENTIATION AND PATHOLOGY

We have generated specific antibodies recognizing different proteins o f the nuclear pore complex and have applied them for the biochemical a nd microscopical analysis of annulate lamellae (AL). Using the example of the Xenopus laevis oocyte we show that the combined application of such antibodies to different components of the nuclear pore complex a llows the unequivocal identification of AL. We propose to use such ant ibodies in immunostaining light microscopy for detecting AL as a diagn ostic marker in a diversity of cell types, including those with pathol ogical alterations in AL frequency and distribution.