DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS OF THE 2C-D REGION OF THE DROSOPHILA X CHROMOSOME

Norbert Perrimon ¹, Lee Engstrom ¹, and Anthony P. Mahowald ¹

¹ Department of Developmental Genetics and Anatomy, Developmental Biology Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

We have conducted a genetic and developmental analysis of genes within the 2C-D area of the X chromosome. Phenotypes of 33 mutations representing nine adjacent complementation groups including eight recessive lethals and one visible homeotic mutation (polyhomeotic) are described. Germline clonal analysis of the eight zygotic lethals has revealed three types of gene requirements: (1) normal activity at two pupal lethal loci (corkscrew and C204) and one larval lethal locus (ultraspiracle) is required for normal embryogenesis; (2) normal activity at three larval lethal loci (DF967, VE651 and Pgd) is required for normal oogenesis; and (3) activity at only one locus (EA82), a larval lethal, appears to have no maternal requirement. Ambiguous results were obtained for the GF316 lethal complementation group. Analysis of mitotic figures of the pupal lethals indicates that C204 disrupts an essential mitotic function. This result correlates with the preblastoderm arrest observed among embryos derived from germline clones of C204. Embryos derived from germline clones of corkscrew (csw) exhibit a "twisted" phenotype. The recessive lethal ultraspiracle (usp) disrupts the organization of the posterior tip of the larva both zygotically and maternally: second instar usp/Y larvae derived from heterozygous usp/+ mothers possess an extra set of spiracles, whereas usp/Y embryos derived from females possessing a germline clone (usp/usp) exhibit a localized ventral defect in the ninth or posterior eighth abdominal segment. Analysis of the phenotypes of deficiency-hemizygous embryos indicates the presence of an embryonic zygotic lethal locus, as yet unidentified, which produces central nervous system and ventral hypoderm degeneration. Additional information on the genetic organization of loci within the adjacent 2E area are also described. The implications of this analysis to our understanding of the maternal of zygotic lethal loci in development are discussed.

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