Immunocytochemistry of annulate lamellae: potential cell biological markers for studies of cell differentiation and pathology.

We have generated specific antibodies recognizing different proteins of the nuclear pore complex and have applied them for the biochemical and 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 allows the unequivocal identification of AL. We propose to use such antibodies in immunostaining light microscopy for detecting AL as a diagnostic marker in a diversity of cell types, including those with pathological alterations in AL frequency and distribution.