Figure 2.

Fiber structure defects and progressive degeneration in olk¹. (A) Silver staining reveals fibers and axon bundles in a wild-type head section. (B) In olk¹, the fibers are much less prominent, revealing a defect in fiber structure within the mutant. (C) The mean size of vacuoles in the mechanosensory neuropil of olk¹ increases with age (8 d, p < 0.1; 14 d, p < 0.01), whereas the number of flies that do not show vacuoles in this region (w/o) decreases with age. Histograms indicate mean ± SEM, and the number flies measured per condition is indicated. (D) Western blot using the anti-futsch antibody 22C10. The amount of Futsch protein (arrowhead) is significantly reduced in olk² and olk³ mutants compared with wild-type controls. In olk¹ flies, we could not detect any protein. Scale bar, (A and B) 50 μm.