Abstract
A Flp/FRT EMS mutagenesis screen was conducted in the eye of Drosophila melanogaster on chromosome 2R to identify negative regulators of cell growth and cell division. In addition to the EMS mutation in the mosaic eye, an ark loss of function allele (ark82) was utilized to block apoptosis in the homozygous mutant cells, setting up a screen for conditional regulators of cell growth and cell division. In the present study, we focus on the characterization and mapping of one mutant that resulted from this screen, Cruella (cru). A cross between flies with the flippase enzyme directed to the developing eye and flies with the mutations cru, ark82, revealed an unusual phenotype that resulted in the homozygous mutant tissue appearing black, in contrast to the expected red. To map the location of this mutation, complementation tests against the Bloomington deficiency kit were conducted. Cru failed to complement previously characterized alleles of capping protein α (cpa). Thus, cpacru is a novel allele of cpa and displays phenotypes similar to previously characterized alleles such as cpa 107E, cpa 69E, and cpascrd . The human homolog, Cap Z, is conserved in humans and serves a similar role in act in filament regulation.
Highlights
A Flp/FRT ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis screen was conducted in the eye of Drosophila melanogaster on chromosome 2R to identify negative regulators of cell growth and cell division
As shown in Figure 1(B), ;FRT42D, Cru, ark82 resulted in a mosaic eye phenotype in which mutant tissue appeared black, as opposed to the red coloration typically seen in homozygous mutant tissue of mosaic eyes, compare tissue pigmentation of Figure 1(B) to that of Figure 1(A)
The phenotype resulting from cpacru homozygous tissue causes a loss of F-actin capping ability in the eye tissue of Drosophila, resulting in improper actin polymerization. Such accumulation of actin filaments has led to what appears to be the discoloration of customarily red mutant eye tissue, causing it to appear black in Drosophila with cpacru alleles
Summary
As a result of evolutionary conservation, information gleaned from the study of Drosophila can often be applied to improve both our understanding of the genetic causes of human diseases and our approaches to combating such diseases [1] [2]. One such gene example is hippo (hpo), a gene involved in regulation of apoptosis and cell division in Drosophila, which has two human homologs, Mst 1 and Mst 2. Additional other genes first identified in Drosophila have been found to play a role in human cancer development [1] [3]-[6]
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