title: Changes of RNA precursor pools (ATP, UTP) during embryogenesis ofDrosophila melanogaster (Diptera) andBruchidius obtectus (coleoptera).
abstract: The total amount of ATP and UTP was measured in embryos ofDrosophila melanogaster andBruchidius obtectus at different development stages. The pool-sizes were measured by their ability to enhance poly(AU) synthesis in an in vitro test, using RNA polymerase ofE. coli, poly-d(AT), ATP, and3H-UTP. In embryos ofD. melanogaster, the amount of UTP decreased from 4.5 pmoles/ embryo during cleavage and early blastoderm to 2 pmoles at later stages. The ATP pool decreased from 14 pmoles/ embryo to 6 pmoles at the same developmental stages. In embryos ofB. obtectus, the UTP pool expanded from about 1 pmole/embryo during cleavage and early blastoderm to about 3 pmoles during gastrulation and organogenesis. Much more ATP was found inB. obtectus embryos: during fertilization 23 pmoles/embryo were found. At late syncytial blastoderm stages the amount of ATP rose to about 50 pmoles/embryo. At cellular blastoderm stages and during gastrulation only 26 pmoles/embryo of ATP were found. During organogenesis the ATP pool decreased to about 14 pmoles/embryo.
authors.affiliation: Zoologisches Institut, Universität Münster, Badestraße 9, D-4400, Münster, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Büning
keywords: Early insect embryogenesis; Nucleotide pools; RNA synthesis