Immunocytochemical study on the ultrastructural localization of human-type ABO (H)-blood group activities in a macaque (Macaca irus)

The immunocytochemical study on the ultrastructural localization of human-type ABO(H)-activities in a crab-eating macaque (Macaca irus) was carried out by using postembedding and immuno-gold staining method. The tissue specimens examined were the esophagus, stomach (St), small intestine (Si), large intestine, liver, kidney, and pancreas. The specimens from these organs and submandibular gland (Sg) of a human (O-group) were used as staining reaction controls. Primary and secondary antibodies were commercially obtained mouse monoclonal anti-A, -B, -H (IgM), and goat anti-mouse IgM labeled with colloidal gold particles (luminal diameter 20 nm), respectively. The results were as follows: (1) In macaque specimens, only A-activity could be observed as the location of gold particles on the peripheral rim of serous secretory granules (Sg) and of epithelial cells (esophagus), the mucous droplets in epithelial cells and brush border (St, Si), the intracellular secretory canaliculi ISC (St)] and the zymogen granules and secretory ducts (pancreas). Gold particles could be also noted at the Golgi apparatus and nascent secretory granules. (2) By periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-osmium tetroxide (PA-TCH-OS) reaction, hexose-rich neutral mucopolysaccharides were noted on the peripheral rim of serous secretory granules (Sg), the mucous droplets (St, Si), the ISC (St), and the brush border (Si). Such a distributional pattern corresponded well with that of gold particles, indicating that the substances were responsible for ABO(H)-activities.