Genetic studies of membrane excitability in Drosophila: lethal interaction between two temperature-sensitive paralytic mutations.
Two mutants of Drosophila melanogaster, parats1 (1-53.9) and napts (2-56.2) both display similar temperature-sensitive paralysis associated with blockage in the conduction of nerve action potentials, suggesting that the two gene products have a similar function. This idea is supported by the observation that the double mutant is unconditionally lethal. Genetic analysis of this synergistic interaction has revealed the following: it specifically involves the para and nap loci; all para alleles interact with napts, but the strength of the interaction varies in an allele-dependent fashion; lethality of the double mutant occurs during the first larval instar with parats1 but differs with other para alleles; hypodosage of para+ causes lethality in a napts background. These results together with previous electrophysiological, behavioral and pharmacological studies of these mutants suggest that both para and nap affect sodium channels and possibly encode different subunits.
D000200:Action Potentials; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013696:Temperature
D007473:Ion Channels; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins