An anti-organelle antibody in pathology. The chromatolytic reaction studied with a monoclonal antibody against the Golgi apparatus.

To evaluate the use of an anti-organelle antibody in a pathologic reaction the chromatolytic reaction was chosen for study. Qualitative analysis was made of rat hypoglossal nuclei stained with a cresyl violet method for Nissl substance and a monoclonal antibody against rat Golgi apparatus (10A8) 0 and 3 days, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after section of the right hypoglossal nerve. Marked dispersion of Nissl substance was noted at 2 weeks and of Golgi apparatus at 4 weeks. Reaggregation of staining had occurred for both organelles by 6 weeks. A quantitative light microscopic analysis was carried out for both stains on randomly selected hypoglossal sections from 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks. The analysis confirmed the qualitative observations and showed them to be highly significant. In addition, it revealed an increase in nuclear area from 0 to 2 weeks, an increase in cytoplasmic area at 4 weeks, decrease in the total area of Nissl substance from 0 to 2 and 4 to 6 weeks, decrease in the percent cytoplasmic areas occupied by Nissl from 0 to 2 weeks and decreases in both the total and percent cytoplasmic area occupied by Golgi apparatus maximal at 4 weeks. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses confirmed the use of this monoclonal antibody to study morphologic changes of the Golgi apparatus secondary to an experimental pathologic lesion. In addition, a previously unrecognized temporal dissociation between the changes of Nissl substance and Golgi apparatus was described.