Electron microscopic and electrophoretic studies of a Drosophila muscle mutant wings-up B.

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Abstract
EM revealed that, although both thick and thin filaments are presented, Z-band and myofibrillar organization are totally lost in indirect flight muscle (IFM) of a Drosophila muscle mutant wings-up B (wup B). The Z-band deficiency correlates well with the gene dosage; in wup B/wup B+ heterozygotes, normal internal structure of the Z-band is restricted only within the central core of the myofibrils. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that 9 myofibrillar proteins are either absent or reduced in the IFM of the mutant. Some of the anomalies are not restored in heterozygotes. The product of wup B+ gene is possibly one of the Z-band components, without which the regular arrangement of thick and thin filaments cannot be maintained. Possible mechanisms for the fact that a single mutation causes multiple changes on the gel are discussed. Absence of 1 component apparently causes disappearance or reduction of others which are functionally and/or structurally related.