Lee K J, Freeman M, Steller H
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
EMBO J. 1991 Apr;10(4):817-26. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb08014.x.
Proper development of the larval visual nerve, Bolwig's nerve, of Drosophila melanogaster requires the wild type function of the disconnected (disco) gene. In disco mutants, the nerve does not make stable connections with its targets in the larval brain. We have begun to explore the role of disco in the formation of the nervous system by examining the distribution of disco mRNA and protein in embryos and third instar larvae using in situ hybridization and antibody staining respectively. No differences between the distribution patterns of the two products are detected; disco is expressed in many tissues including both neural and non-neural cells. Many of the cells which express disco undergo extensive movement during development as they participate in major morphogenetic movements. Antibody staining shows that the protein is found in the cell nucleus. Products of the disco gene are detected in cells near the terminus of the growing Bolwig's nerve. In embryos homozygous for either of two mutant alleles of disco, the disco protein is absent near the nerve terminus, although protein distribution elsewhere is indistinguishable from wild type.
黑腹果蝇幼虫视觉神经（博尔维希氏神经）的正常发育需要“分离”（disco）基因的野生型功能。在disco突变体中，该神经无法与幼虫大脑中的目标建立稳定连接。我们已开始通过分别使用原位杂交和抗体染色来检测胚胎和三龄幼虫中disco mRNA和蛋白质的分布，从而探索disco在神经系统形成中的作用。未检测到这两种产物分布模式的差异；disco在包括神经细胞和非神经细胞在内的许多组织中都有表达。许多表达disco的细胞在发育过程中会随着参与主要形态发生运动而进行广泛移动。抗体染色显示该蛋白质存在于细胞核中。在生长中的博尔维希氏神经末端附近的细胞中检测到了disco基因的产物。在disco两个突变等位基因中任意一个的纯合胚胎中，神经末端附近没有disco蛋白，尽管其他部位的蛋白质分布与野生型无法区分。
