Taste, movement, and death: varying effects of new prospero mutants during Drosophila development.
The PGal4 transposon inserted upstream of the pan-neural gene prospero (pros) causes several neural and behavioral defects in the Voila(1) strain. The precise excision of the transposon simultaneously rescued all these defects whereas its unprecise excision created new pros(V) alleles, including the null allele pros(V17). Here, we describe the relationship between the genetic structure of pros locus, larval locomotion, and larval gustatory response. These two behaviors showed varying degrees of variation depending upon the pros allele. We also found a good relation between behavioral alteration, the level of Pros protein in the embryo, and the degree of disorganization in the larval neuromuscular junction. These data suggest that the complete development of the nervous system requires a full complement of Pros, and that a gradual decrease in the levels of this protein can proportionally alter the development and the function of the nervous system.
Grosjean
Yaël
Y
Unité de Recherche 5548 Associée au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21 000 Dijon, France.
Lacaille
Fabien
F
Acebes
Angel
A
Clemencet
Johanna
J
Ferveur
Jean-François
JF
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D003643:Death; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D017952:Ganglia, Invertebrate / Q000737:chemistry; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D017344:Genes, Insect; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D005838:Genotype; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011930:Reaction Time; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C073099:pros protein, Drosophila