Development and differentiation of imaginal eye discs of drosophila melanogaster after culture in vitro
Kaji, S.; Ushioda, Y.
Memoirs of the Konan University Science Series 25: 11-30
1980
Accession: 005130501
The eye-antennal discs with cephalic ganglia and isolated eye discs from the mid-3rd instar larvae of D. melanogaster were cultured in vitro. The culture medium was based on Schneider's medium. In the beginning of explantation juvenile hormones and larval extracts were used. After growth of the explant, these agents were replaced by ecdysteroid and prepupal extracts. The 75 h eye-antennal discs with cephalic ganglion and isolated eye discs of the wild type and mutant Bar strains were developed and differentiated in vitro. Examination of the imaginal structures showed that the 2 discs completely fused, producing an integrated pattern of hairs, bristles and corneal lenses. Eye pigments were also observed. The pigments were assumed to be ommochromes and drosopterins. The antennal discs fused to form a vesicle inside and on the inner surface of which imaginal structures differentiated. The fusion of the brain lobes was completed and became square shaped. The isolated eye discs from 75 h larvae were differentiated to imaginal structures. In the Bar eye disc, when lactamide was dissolved in the culture medium, the size of the Bar eye disc developed almost the same as that of the wild type and the pigmented dye region became enlarged. The Bar eye discs are affected by lactamide and not affected secondarily by the cephalic ganglia.