The electron microscopic immunohistochemistry of elastase-treated aorta and nuchal ligament of fetal and postnatal sheep.

In conjunction with the immunoperoxidase and the immunoferritin methods, antielastin antibody was used to study the localization of elastin in untreated and elastase-treated elastic fibers of the nuchal ligament and the aorta of fetal and young adult sheep. In tissues not treated with elastase, the staining reaction for antielastin antibody was localized in the outer zones of the amorphous components and along the surfaces of the microfibrils ; the central zones of the amorphous components were unreactive. After mild elastase treatment, incompletely digested amorphous components showed staining both in their central and outer zones, and some of the microfibrils became unreactive. After extensive elastase treatment, small scattered amorphous components were still found in association with bundles of microfibrils. These components were stained diffusely by the antielastin antibody method but were not detectable by staining with uranyl acetate and lead citrate or with Kajikawa 's method for elastin; elastin was not detected on the surfaces of the microfibrils by any of the methods used. These findings were interpreted as indicating that the surfaces of the microfibrils are associated with small amounts of elastin, and that evenly stained amorphous components are composed of elastin, which is loosely arranged and allows the penetration of antielastin antibody. These observations support the concept that microfibrils serve an important role as a scaffold for elastin deposition in elastogenesis. Because of their high sensitivity, immunohistochemical methods for detecting elastin are useful to study partially degraded elastic fibers.