Faculty Articles

Title

The Effect of Lactamide on the Mutant eyeless-2

Publication Title

Drosophila Information Service

Volume

55

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1-1-1980

Abstract

Kaji (1954–1959) demonstrated that several organic compounds, especially lactamide, increased eye facte number in the mutant Bar. To determine if this effect was specific to the Bar mutant we tested the effect of lactamide on eyeless-2 (ey2), a fourth chromosome, recessive mutant which also reduces eye facet number. We transferred 60 hour larvae from a yeast-seeded cream of wheat-molasses medium to a similar medium containing 0 to 5% lactamide by weight. After 30 hours of treatment larvae were removed to vials containing a yeast-seeded agar-sucrose medium to complete development. Facet number was determined using a compound microscope equipped with a grid ocular. Under conditions in which Bar eyed flies showed up to a four-fold increase in facet number ey2 had reduced facet numbers (approximately a 20% reduction). We suggest that a unitary hypothesis can account for the disparate effects of lactamide on the two different mutants. If lactamide (as well as the other compounds used by Kaji) caused a reduction of protein synthesis, the concomitant reduction in the synthesis of lysozyme could result in less cell death in the Bar mutant. In the ey2 stock, however, the reduction in protein synthesis could retard eye development even more than normal. This hypothesis is now being tested.

Disciplines

Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathy

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