Figure 3.

Unc-76 mutations cause axonal transport defects in the Drosophila nervous system. Larvae heterozygous (A) or homozygous (B) for Unc-76 null allele l(1)G0310 were incubated with antisera specific for the synaptic vesicle precursor marker SYT to compare the accumulation pattern of fast anterograde transports in wild-type and Unc-76 mutant backgrounds. Note that large aggregates of SYT immunoreactivity are found in the segmental nerves of Unc-76 mutants (B), but SYT accumulation is diffuse in heterozygotes (A). Bar, 25 μm. (C) UNC-76 protein concentration is reduced in Unc-76 heterozygous adults. Whole cell extracts of wild-type (ORE-R, lanes 1 and 2) and Unc-76 heterozygote (l[1]G0310/+, lane 3) were electrophoresed, blotted, and incubated with UNC-76 antisera. The equivalent of one adult female is present in lanes 1 and 3, whereas 0.5 fly equivalent is present in lane 2 as a control. The numbers below each lane represent the ratio of the pixel volume of each lane divided by the pixel volume of lane 1 (wild-type). (D and E) UNC-76 antisera staining of wild-type (D) and Unc-76^– (E) second instar CNS. Note that UNC-76 staining is more intense in ventral nerve cord of wild-type larva, whereas staining is at background levels in Unc-76^– ventral nerve cord. Epifluorescence images were captured at 60× magnification. Anterior is to the left.