Golgi maturation is a change in the molecular identity of a Golgi cisterna as it progresses from an early to a later functional state. In the cisternal maturation model, cargo can remain within a cisterna while resident processing enzymes are redistributed, including by backward transport. A cisterna's identity is therefore not a permanent label attached to one stationary processing room. Other carriers can still contribute to transport; the model does not require every cargo to follow exactly the same route. [ref]
Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others. Chapter 13, Transport from the ER Through the Golgi Apparatus
Live imaging supplied a direct test. In budding yeast, individual Golgi cisternae lost an early fluorescent resident marker and acquired a later one. Following the same object through time distinguishes maturation from simply finding early and late markers in different objects in a fixed image. [ref]
Golgi maturation visualized in living yeast by Eugene Losev and others. 2006, abstract and live-cell imaging of early-to-late marker conversion
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