Abstract
The activity of the Balbiani rings and the other puffs of Drosophila auraria salivary gland chromosomes from various stages of development was studied in vitro in the presence or the absence of various concentrations of the hormone ecdysterone. It was found that of 81 sites affected by these conditions, 69 (including the BRs) exhibit changes during normal development as well, while the remaining 12 change only under culture conditions. The results indicate that the normal profiles of certain puffs (and the BRs) are approximated more closely by the lower concentrations of the hormone and it is suggested that such low concentrations are necessary to induce the normal course of events in vivo. Various hypotheses concerning the influence of ecdysterone on the puffing patterns are discussed in view of the data presented in this report.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akam M, Roberts D, Richards G, Ashburner M (1978) Drosophila: the genetics of two major larval proteins. Cell 13:215–225
Ashburner M (1967) Patterns of puffing activity in the salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila. I. Autosomal puffing patterns in a laboratory stock of D. melanogaster. Chromosoma 21:398–428
Ashburner M (1969) Patterns of puffing activity in the salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila. IV. Variability of puffing patterns. Chromosoma 27:156–177
Ashburner M (1970) Function and structure of polytene chromosomes during insect development. Adv Insect Physiol 7:1–95
Ashburner M (1971) Induction of puffs in polytene chromosomes of in vitro cultured salivary glands in Drosophila melanogaster by ecdysone analogues. Nature 230:222–224
Ashburner M (1972a) Ecdysone induction of puffing in polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster. The effects of inhibitors of RNA synthesis. Exp Cell Res 71:433–440
Ashburner M (1972b) Patterns of puffing activity in the salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila. VI. Induction by ecdysone in salivary glands of D. melanogaster cultured in vitro. Chromosoma 38:255–281
Ashburner M (1973) Sequential gene activation by ecdysone in polytene chromosomes by Drosophila melanogaster. I. Dependence upon hormone concentration. Dev Biol 35:47–61
Ashburner M, Berendes HJ (1978) Puffing of polytene chromosomes. In: Ashburner M, Wright TRF (eds) The genetics of Drosophila 2b. Academic Press, New York, pp 316–376
Ashburner M, Richards G (1976) The sequential gene activation by ecdysone in polytene chromosomes of Drosophila. III. Consequences of ecdysone withdrawal. Dev Biol 54:241–255
Becker HJ (1959) Die Puffs der Speicheldrüsen-Chromosomen von Drosophila melanogaster. I. Beobachtungen zum Verhalten des Puffmusters im Normalstamm und bei zwei Mutanten, giant und lethal-giant-larvae. Chromosoma 10:654–678
Beermann W (1956) Nuclear differentiation and functional morphology of chromosomes. Cold Spring Harbor Symp Quant Biol 21:217–232
Belyaeva ES, Vlassova IE, Biyasheva ZM, Kakpakov VT, Richards G, Zhimulev IF (1981) Cytogenetic analysis of the 2B3-4-2B11 region of the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. Chromosoma 84:207–219
Berendes HD (1967) The hormone ecdysone as effector of specific changes in the pattern of gene activities of Drosophila hydei. Chromosoma 22:274–293
Clever U (1961) Genaktivitäten in den Riesenchromosomen von Chironomus tentans und ihre Beziehungen zur Entwicklung. I. Genaktivierungen durch Ecdyson. Chromosoma 12:607–675
Dworniczak B, Seidel R, Pongs O (1983) Puffing activities and binding of ecdysteroid to polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster. EMBO J 2:1323–1330
Gronemeyer H, Pongs O (1980) Localization of ecdysterone on polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77:2108–2112
Growley T, Meyerowitz M (1984) Steroid regulation of RNAs. Transcription from the Drosophila 68C polytene chromosome puff. Dev Biol 102:110–121
Growley T, Bond M, Meyerowitz E (1983) The structural genes for three Drosophila glue proteins reside at a single polytene chromosome puff locus. Mol Cell Biol 3:623–634
Kastritsis CD, Grossfield J (1971) Balbiani rings in D. auraria. Dros Inf Serv 47:123
Kastritsis CD, Scouras ZG, Ashburner M (1986) Duplications in the polytene chromosomes of Drosophila auraria. Chromosoma 93:381–385
Kress H (1979) Ecdysone-induced changes in glucoprotein synthesis and puff activities in Drosophila virilis salivary glands. Chromosoma 72:53–66
Poels C (1970) Time sequence in the expression of various developmental characters induced by ecdysterone in Drosophila hydei. Dev Biol 23:210–225
Richards G (1976a) Sequential gene activation by ecdysone in polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster. V. The late prepupal puffs. Dev Biol 54:264–275
Richards G (1976b) Sequential gene activation by ecdysone in polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster. IV. The mid prepupal period. Dev Biol 54:256–263
Richards G (1980) Ecdysosteroids and puffing in Drosophila melanogaster. In: Hoffman JA (ed) Progress in ecdysterone research. Developments in endocrinology, vol 7. Elsevier/North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 363–378
Roberts PA, MacPhail LA (1985) Structure and activity of salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila gibberosa. Chromosoma 92:55–68
Scouras Z, Kastritsis C (1984) Balbiani rings and puffs of the polytene chromosomes of Drosophila auraria. Chromosoma 89:96–106
Stocker JA, Kastritsis CD (1973) Developmental studies in Drosophila. 7. The influence of ecdysterone on the salivary gland puffing patterns of D. pseudoobscura larvae and prepupae. Differentiation 1:225–239
Wright TRF (1977) The genetics of Dopa Decarboxylase and α- Methyl Dopa sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster. Am Zool 17:707–721
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mavragani-Tsipidou, P., Kastritsis, C.D. The role of the hormone ecdysterone in the control of the activity of the Balbiani rings and the other puffs of Drosophila auraria . Chromosoma 94, 505–513 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292760
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292760