The Kavar D dominant female-sterile mutations of Drosophila reveal a role for the maternally provided α-tubulin4 isoform in cleavage spindle maintenance and elongation

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Abstract
The dominant-negative female-sterile Kavar D mutations and their revertant kavar r alleles identify the αTubulin67C gene of Drosophila melanogaster, which codes for the maternally provided α-tubulin4 isoform. The mutations result in the formation of monopolar, collapsed spindles (each with two nearby centrosomes, a tassel of microtubules and overcondensed chromosomes), thus revealing a novel function for α-tubulin4 in spindle maintenance and elongation. Molecular features of the two Kavar D alleles and a kavar null allele are described and models for their actions are discussed.