title: Morphogenesis of denticles and hairs in Drosophila embryos: involvement of actin-associated proteins that also affect adult structures.
abstract: We sought components that function in morphogenetic events downstream from the segmentation pathway in Drosophila embryos, so we examined mutations that affect development of adult hairs and/or bristles to identify a subset that also affect hairs and denticles on the cuticle of first instar larvae. Mutations at 4 of 23 loci surveyed cause distinct abnormalities in these larval structures, and two other loci have more subtle, variable effects. In particular, forked and singed mutants produce complex, allele-specific phenotypes. These loci encode actin-associated proteins and, consistent with that information, mutations cause abnormalities in actin bundles that support nascent hairs and denticles in stage 14-16 embryos. We suggest that interactions between these and other actin-associated proteins are important in generating the diverse shapes of the cuticular specializations seen in both larvae and adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA. dickinson@bioscience.utah.edu
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Thatcher
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003599:Cytoskeleton; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000502:physiology; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C084628:f protein, Drosophila; C020324:fascin