Cell interactions in the control of size in Drosophila wings.

The vein locus (vn) includes lethal alleles (designated also defective dorsal discs) that prevent growth of dorsal discs and in viable genetic combinations reduce the number of cells of the adult wing. Those effects are prominent in genetic mosaics. Cell proliferation is reduced in all regions of the wing blade in a local autonomous way. These effects are more extreme when mutant clones occupy full intervein regions bordering veins. Clones have, in addition, nonautonomous effects (accommodation) in the proliferation of wild-type cells of the same wing. These effects are more extreme in double mutant vn (ddd) and ve (rhomboid) allelic combinations. Developmental analysis shows that cell proliferation stops earlier in larval development the stronger the vn allele considered. A model is discussed of how cell proliferation is controlled by cellular interactions.