Transdetermination of imaginal wing disc fragments of Drosophila melanogaster.

Fragments of the imaginal wing disc of Drosophila melanogaster were cultured in adult hosts before transfer to larvae for metamorphosis. Transdetermination occurred only after at least 2 weeks of culture in vivo, producing structures of the leg, antenna, head, and thoracic spiracle. Details of the transdetermined structures and their locations with respect to normal wing disc structures are reported. We present evidence suggesting that regulation can occur between the wing and the second leg imaginal discs, and we propose that many transdeterminations which involve neighboring discs may result from such interdisc regulation.