Identification of rectal ganglion cells using monoclonal antibodies.

A monoclonal antibody has been developed that reacts specifically with ganglion cells of the myenteric and submucous plexuses of the gastrointestinal tract. This antibody also recognizes an axonal antigen that is distributed throughout the circular muscle of normal colon and rectum. Aganglionic segments of colon and rectum from patients with Hirschsprung's disease showed no specific antibody binding using a fluorescent labelled assay. The use of monoclonal antibodies should provide further insights into the pathophysiology of Hirschsprung's disease and allied disorders.