Wing reduction and cell death in Drosophila hydei: Analysis of the mutants Notch and Costal‐nick

Abstract

AbstractCell death and its effect on wing size have been described in some wing mutants of Drosophila hydei. Dead cells in the imaginal discs were localized by Nile‐bule and acridine‐orange staining. Various Notch (N) alleles, the mutation Costal‐nick (Cnk) and the compound N/Cnk show characteristic patterns of cell death in the imaginal wing disc. Some but not all of the structural features of the adult wing can be related to the site of cell death during larval stages. In NAx types, extensive cell death is followed by regenerative growth, invalidating a simple relation between size of the disk and size of the wing. In Nts/Cnk cell death and wing morphology depend on the breeding temperature. From temperature experiments we conclude that cell death starts between day 4 and 5 after egg laying and can be induced by a shift to the restrictive temperature during the critical phase. Patterns of wing incisions and cell death in Nts/Cnk genotypes seem not to be delimited by any of the known compartment boundaries.