Comparative characteristics of the puffing pattern and the endocrine system in an oregon laboratory stock and in l(2)gl Drosophila melanogaster mutants differing in the time of their death

Abstract

This study shows that homozygotes for different alleles of the lethal mutant, l(2)gl, differing in the time of death also vary in the state of their endocrine system and the puffing patterns of their salivary gland chromosomes. Homozygotes which die at the larval stage have underdeveloped prothoracic glands and normal corpora allata (CA); in those dying at the prepupal stage both the prothoracic glands and the CA are equally underdeveloped. — All the early third instar larval puffs (96–110 h., PS 1–2) develop in homozygotes; however, the reduction of some early larval puffs, normally occurring before pupariation or at puparium formation, is delayed. Some puffs are more developed than normal. — The differences in puffing patterns chiefly concerned puffs which normally appear 4–5 h before puparium formation and at puparium formation. In homozygotes lethal as larvae some of the puffs normally active at this time did not develop. However, along with some of the late larval puffs, there appeared many puffs characteristic of prepupae. — In homozygotes lethal as prepupae only the time and sequence of puff appearance was altered. Many late larval puffs were active in prepupae rather than in larvae, whereas some of the puffs, normally appearing in prepupae, were active in the larval stage. Accordingly, we propose to distinguish two groups of puff loci. 1) Hormone dependent puffs: These do not develop in larval lethals and are active only after puparium formation in pupariated lethals. 2) Autonomous puffs: Their appearance depends more on the time of development, than on hormonal background. It is suggested that the induction of hormone dependent puffs and of puparium formation is possible at low ecdysone levels, provided that the juvenile hormone level is also low.