The effects of inhibition of protein synthesis on the phenotype of Abnormal-abdomen

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Abstract
SUMMARY: Penetrance and expressivity of the Drosophila mutant Abnormal-abdomen (A53g) may be reduced by adding inhibitors of protein synthesis, of RNA synthesis, and of oxidative phosphorylation to the defined, sterile medium on which larvae are developing. When grown on regular diet, the mutant flies contain a higher concentration of total protein than do wild-type flies. The metabolic inhibitors which reduce the expressivity of the mutation also lower protein concentration in these mutant flies. The reduction of protein synthesis is directly correlated with the reduction of expression of the mutant genotype. The regulation of the morphological abdominal abnormalities by the complex A53g genotype is discussed in relation to the control, by this same genetic system, of the mechanisms of protein synthesis.