Open AccessMutations in the Drosophila gene encoding ribosomal protein S6 cause tissue overgrowth.
Author(s) -
Michael Stewart,
R Denell
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
molecular and cellular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.14
H-Index - 327
eISSN - 1067-8824
pISSN - 0270-7306
DOI - 10.1128/mcb.13.4.2524
Subject(s) - biology , drosophila melanogaster , gene , mutant , ribosomal protein , drosophilidae , mutation , endoreduplication , genetics , haematopoiesis , microbiology and biotechnology , phenotype , ribosome , stem cell , rna , cell cycle
We have characterized two P-element-induced, lethal mutations in Drosophila melanogaster which affect the larval hemocytes, mediators of the insect immune response. Each mutant displays larval melanotic tumors characteristic of mutations affecting the insect cellular immune system, and the moribund animals develop grossly hypertrophied hematopoietic organs because of increased cell proliferation and extra rounds of endoreduplication in some hematopoietic cells. Surprisingly, these mutations are due to P element insertions in the 5' regulatory region of the Drosophila gene encoding ribosomal protein S6 and cause a reduction of S6 transcript abundance in mutant larvae.