Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Genetics logoLink to Genetics
. 1991 Jul;128(3):571–582. doi: 10.1093/genetics/128.3.571

Mutational Analysis of the Drosophila Miniature-Dusky (M-Dy) Locus: Effects on Cell Size and Circadian Rhythms

L M Newby 1, L White 1, S M DiBartolomeis 1, B J Walker 1, H B Dowse 1, J M Ringo 1, N Khuda 1, F R Jackson 1
PMCID: PMC1204531  PMID: 1908397

Abstract

A mutational analysis has been performed to explore the function of the Drosophila melanogaster miniature-dusky (m-dy) locus. Mutations at this locus affect wing development, fertility and behavior. The genetic characterization of 13 different mutations suggests that m and dy variants are alleles of a single complex gene. All of these mutations alter wing size, apparently by reducing the volume of individual epidermal cells of the developing wing. In m mutants, epidermal cell boundaries persist in the mature wing, whereas they normally degenerate 1-2 hr after eclosion in wild-type or dy flies. This has permitted the direct visualization of cell size differences among several m mutants. Mutations at the m-dy locus also affect behavioral processes. Three out of nine dy alleles (dy(n1), dy(n3) and dy(n4)) lengthen the circadian period of the activity and eclosion rhythms by approximately 1.5 hr. In contrast, m mutants have normal circadian periods, but an abnormally large percentage of individuals express aperiodic bouts of activity. These behavior genetic studies also indicate that an existing ``rhythm'' mutation known as Andante is an allele of the m-dy locus. The differential effects of certain m-dy mutations on wing and behavioral phenotypes suggest that separable domains of function exist within this locus.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (5.3 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. DORN G. L., BURDICK A. B. On the recombinational structure and complementation relationships in the m-dy complex of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1962 May;47:503–518. doi: 10.1093/genetics/47.5.503. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dowse H. B., Ringo J. M. Further evidence that the circadian clock in Drosophila is a population of coupled ultradian oscillators. J Biol Rhythms. 1987 Spring;2(1):65–76. doi: 10.1177/074873048700200106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dushay M. S., Konopka R. J., Orr D., Greenacre M. L., Kyriacou C. P., Rosbash M., Hall J. C. Phenotypic and genetic analysis of Clock, a new circadian rhythm mutant in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1990 Jul;125(3):557–578. doi: 10.1093/genetics/125.3.557. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dushay M. S., Rosbash M., Hall J. C. The disconnected visual system mutations in Drosophila melanogaster drastically disrupt circadian rhythms. J Biol Rhythms. 1989 Spring;4(1):1–27. doi: 10.1177/074873048900400101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ferrús A., Llamazares S., de la Pompa J. L., Tanouye M. A., Pongs O. Genetic analysis of the Shaker gene complex of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1990 Jun;125(2):383–398. doi: 10.1093/genetics/125.2.383. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Green M. M. Genetic instability in Drosophila melanogaster: Mutable miniature (mu). Mutat Res. 1975 Jul;29(1):77–84. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(75)90022-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Konopka R. J., Smith R. F., Orr D. Characterization of Andante, a new Drosophila clock mutant, and its interactions with other clock mutants. J Neurogenet. 1991 Feb;7(2-3):103–114. doi: 10.3109/01677069109066214. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Newby L. M., Jackson F. R. Drosophila ebony mutants have altered circadian activity rhythms but normal eclosion rhythms. J Neurogenet. 1991 Feb;7(2-3):85–101. doi: 10.3109/01677069109066213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Nurse P. Genetic control of cell size at cell division in yeast. Nature. 1975 Aug 14;256(5518):547–551. doi: 10.1038/256547a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Nurse P. Universal control mechanism regulating onset of M-phase. Nature. 1990 Apr 5;344(6266):503–508. doi: 10.1038/344503a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Slatis H M, Willermet D A. The Miniature Complex in Drosophila Melanogaster. Genetics. 1954 Jan;39(1):45–58. doi: 10.1093/genetics/39.1.45. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sulzman F. M. Microcomputer monitoring of circadian rhythms. Comput Biol Med. 1982;12(4):253–261. doi: 10.1016/0010-4825(82)90030-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Genetics are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES