Summary
In order to identify X-chromosomal genes required inDrosophila for early patterning and morphogenesis, we examined embryos hemizygous for EMS-induced lethal mutations to determine which of those mutations cause gross morphological defects. Embryos from 2711 lethal lines, corresponding to 3255 lethal point mutations were studied. Only 21% caused death during embryogenesis and of these, only one-sixth, or 3% of the total lethals, were associated with defects visible in the final cuticle pattern. Of the 114 point mutants causing visible cuticle defects, 76 could be assigned to 14 complementation groups. An additional 25 mutations mapping to regions of the X-chromosome not covered by male fertile duplications were assigned to six complementation groups based on similarities of map position and phenotype. Thirteen mutations could not be assigned to complementation groups. All mutations allowed normal development through the cellular blastoderm stage, the first defects associated with the earliest acting loci being observed shortly after the onset of gastrulation. The phenotypes of the various loci range from alterations in segment pattern or early morphogenetic movements to defects in final pigmentation and denticle morphology.
Cuticle preparations were also examined for 63 deletions spanning in total 74% of the X-chromosome, as well as for 8 deletions and point mutations derived in saturation mutagenesis screens of the fourth chromosome (Hochman 1976). With the exception of defects in head morphology and defects in cuticle differentiation, none of the hemizygous deletions showed phenotypes other than those predicted by point mutations known to lie in those regions. No deletion caused new or unknown alterations in gastrulation, segmentation or cuticle pattern.These results suggest that the number of genes required zygotically for normal embryonic patterning is small and that most, if not all such loci, are represented by point mutations in our collection.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Anderson KV, Lengyel JA (1979) Rates of synthesis of major classes of RNA inDrosophila embryos. Dev Biol 70:217–231
Bridges CB (1938) A revised map of the salivary gland X-chromosome. J Heredity 29:11
Campos-Ortega JA, Jimenez F (1980) The effect of X-chromosome deficiencies in neurogenesis inDrosophila. In: Siddiqi O, Babu P, Hall LM, Hall JC (eds) Development and neurobiology ofDrosophila. Plenum Press, New York, pp 201–222
Craymer L, Roy E (1980) New mutants-Drosophila melanogaster. Dros Inf Serv 55:200–204
Ede DA (1956a) Studies on the lethal effects of some genetic lethal factors on the embryonic development ofDrosophila melanogaster. I. A preliminary survey of some sex-linked lethal stocks and an analysis of the mutant Lff 11. Arch Entwicklungsmech Organ 148:416–436
Ede DA (1956b) Studies on the lethal effects of some genetic lethal factors on the embryonic development ofDrosophila melanogaster. II. An analysis of the mutant X-2. Arch Entwicklungsmech Organ 148:437–451
Ede DA (1956b) Studies on the effects of some genetic lethal factors on the embryonic development ofDrosophila melanogaster. III. An analysis of the mutant X-27. Arch Entwicklungsmech Organ 149:88–100
Ede DA (1956d) Studies on the effects of some genetic lethal factors on the embryonic development ofDrosophila melanogaster. IV. An analysis of the mutant X-20. Arch Entwicklungsmech Organ 149:101–144
Garcia-Bellido A, Moscosco del Prado J (1979) Genetic analysis of maternal information inDrosophila. Nature 278:346–348
Hadorn E (1955) Letalfaktoren in ihrer Bedeutung für Erbpathologie und Genphysiologie der Entwicklung. Thieme, Stuttgart
Hadorn E, Chen PS (1952) Untersuchungen zur Phasenspezifität der Wirkung von Letalfaktoren beiDrosophila melanogaster. Arch Julius Klaus-Stift. 27:147–163
Hochman B (1976) The fourth chromosome ofDrosophila melanogaster. In: Ashburner M, Novitski E (eds) The genetics and biology ofDrosophila, vol 1b. Academic Press, New York
Jan LY, Jan NJ (1982) Antibodies to horseradish peroxidase as specific neuronal markers inDrosophila and grasshopper embryos. PNAS (USA) 79:2700–2704
Jimenez F, Campos-Ortega JA (1979) A region of theDrosophila genome necessary for CNS development. Nature 282:310–312
Judd BH, Shen MW, Kaufman TC (1972) The anatomy and function of a segment of the X-chromosome ofDrosophila melanogaster. Genetics 71:139–156
Jürgens C, Wieschaus E, Nüsslein-Volhard C, Kluding M (1984) Mutations affecting the pattern of the larval cuticle inDrosophila melanogaster. II. Zygotic loci on the third chromosome. Wilhelm Roux's Arch 193:283–295
Lamb MM, Laird CD (1976) Increase in nuclear poly(A)-containing RNA at syncytial blastoderm inDrosophila melanogaster embryos. Dev Biol 52:31–42
Lefevre G (1974) The relationship between genes and polytene chromosome bands. Ann Rev Genet 8:51–62
Lewis EB, Bacher F (1968) A method of feeding ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) toDrosophila males. Dros Inf Serv 43:193
Lindsley DL, Grell EH (1968) Genetic variations ofDrosophila melanogaster. Carnegie Inst Wash Publ 627
McKnight SL, Miller OL Jr (1976) Ultrastructural patterns of RNA synthesis during early embryogenesis ofDrosophila melanogaster Cell 8:305–319
Merriam JR, Duffy C (1972) First multiple seven now contains snx2 for better balancing. Dros Inf Serv 48:43
Muller HJ (1928) The measurement of gene mutation rate inDrosophila, its high variability and its dependence upon temperature. Genetics 13:279–357
Nicklas JA, Cline TW (1983) Vital genes that flank Sex-lethal, an X-linked sex-determinating gene ofDrosophila melanogaster. Genetics 103:617–631
Nüsslein-Volhard C (1977) A rapid method for screening eggs from singleDrosophila females. Dros Inf Serv 52:166
Nüsslein-Volhard, C, Wieschaus E (1980) Mutations affecting segment number and polarity inDrosophila. Nature 287:795–801
Nüsslein-Volhard C, Wieschaus E, Kluding M (1984) Mutations affecting the pattern of the larval cuticle inDrosophila melanogaster. I. Zygotic loci on the second chromosome. Wilhelm Roux's Arch 193:267–282
Poulson DF (1940) The effects of certain X-chromosome deficiencies on the embryonic development ofDrosophila melanogaster. J Exp Zool 83:235–271
Schalet A, Lefevre G (1976) The proximal region of the X-chromosome in biology and genetics ofDrosophila, Ashburner M, Novitski E (eds) vol 1b. Academic Press, New York, pp 848–902
Scriba MEL (1964) Beeinflussung der frühen Embryonalentwicklung vonDrosophila melanogaster durch Chromosomenaberrationen. Zool Jahrb Abt Anat Ontog Tiere 81:435–490
Scriba MEL (1967) Embryonale Entwicklungsstörungen bein Defizienz und Tetraploidie des 2. Chromosoms vonDrosophila melanogaster. Arch Entwicklungsmech Organ 159:314–315
Scriba MEL (1969) Embryonale Entwicklungsstörungen bei Nullosomie und Tetrasomie des 3. Chromosoms vonDrosophila melanogaster. Dev Biol 19:160–171
Sina BJ, Pellegrini M (1982) Genomic clones coding for some of the initial genes expressed duringDrosophila development. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79:7351–7355
Spencer WP, Stern C (1948) Experiments to test the validity of the linear r-dose/mutation frequency relation inDrosophila at low dosage. Genetics 33:43–74
Van der Meer J (1977) Optical clean and permanent whole mount preparations for phase-contrase microscopy of cuticle structures of insect larvae. Dros Inf Serv 52:160
White K (1980) Defective neural development inDrosophila melanogaster embryos deficient for the tip of the X-chromosome. Dev Biol 80:332–344
Wright TRF (1960) The phenogenetics of the embryonic mutant lethalmyospheroid inDrosophila melanogaster. J Exp Zool 143:77–99
Wright TRF (1970) The genetics of embryogenesis inDrosophila. Adv Genet 15:262–385
Zalokar M (1976) Autoradiographic study of protein and RNA formation during early development ofDrosophila eggs. Dev Biol 49:425–437
Zalokar M, Erk I (1977) Phase-partition fixation and staining ofDrosophila eggs. Stain Technol 52:89–95
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wieschaus, E., Nüsslein-Volhard, C. & Jürgens, G. Mutations affecting the pattern of the larval cuticle inDrosophila melanogaster . Wilhelm Roux' Archiv 193, 296–307 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00848158
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00848158