[Effect of actinomycin D on development of the ocular imaginal disks of drosophila].

The actinomycin D treated discs were transplanted into imago or larvae ready for pupation to determine the period of synthesis of mRNA's engaged in eye development during the development of eye imaginal discs. When transplanting 24, 48 and 72 hrs eye imaginal discs into larvae ready for pupation, no inhibition of either eye pigment synthesis, or cuticular structure development by actinomycin D was found. When transplanting actinomycin D treated 72 hrs and prepupal eye imaginal discs into imago, the inhibition of eye pigment synthesis was found only in 72 hrs discs.