The use of specific antibody in electron microscopy. I. Preparation of mercury-labeled antibody.

The preparation of antimyosin conjugated with mercury and fluorescein is described. The mercury was introduced to permit visualization of the antibody in the electron microscope. An organic mercurial, tetraacetoxymercuriarsanilic acid, was prepared and coupled to the antibody through the diazonium salt. The fluorescein was coupled through the isocyanate by a modification of the procedure described by Coons and Kaplan. The antibody conjugate retained its specificity of reaction with the tissue antigen. This was demonstrated by the staining pattern obtained in fluorescence microscopy.