Maternal effect for genes encoding 6‐phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

W e studied the maternal effect for two enzymes of the pentose cycle, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), using a genetic system based on the interaction of Pgd-and Z w -alleles, which inactivate 6PGD and G6PD, respectively. The presence and formation of the enzymes was investigated in those individuals that had not received the corresponding genes from the mother. We revealed maternal forms of the enzymes, detectable up to the pupal stage. The activities of "maternal" 6PGD and G6PD per individual increased 20-fold t o 30-fold from the egg stage t o the 3rd larval instar even in the absence of normal Pgd and Zw genes. Immunologic studies have shown that the increase in 6PGD activity is due t o an accumulation of the maternal form of the enzyme molecules. We revealed a hybrid isozyme resulting from an aggregation of the subunits of isozymes controlled by the genes of the mother and embryo itself. These results indicate that the maternal effect in the case of 6PGD is due to a long-lived stable mRNA transmitted with the egg cytoplasm and translated during the development of Drosophila melanogaster.

Development of ethanol tolerance in relation to the alcohol dehydrogenase locus in Drosophila melanogaster. II. The influence of phenotypic adaptation and maternal effect on survival on alcohol supplemented media

“…A comparable situation is reported by Gerasimova and Smirnova (1979) who showed that in the case of 6 phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) long-lived stable mRNA was transmitted with the egg cytoplasm and translated during the development of D. melanogaster, leading to large increase of 6PGD activity even in the absence of a functional Pgd gene. However, in the case of ADH this would imply that the rate of synthesis from the maternal mRNA is exactly the same as the rate of degradation of the maternal ADH.…”

“…The differential survival of Adh-null genotypes is probably caused by maternal effects. Early embryonic development is largely conditioned by the large amount of cytoplasm that contains the products of the maternal genes (Gerasimova and Smirnova, 1979).…”

Development of tolerance to ethanol in relation to the alcohol dehydrogenase locus in Drosophila melanogaster 1. Adult and egg-to-adult survival in relation to ADH activity

“…The egg cytoplasm of embryos contains proteins and mRNAs from the mother (Gerasimova and Smirnova, 1979). It is known (Wright and Shaw, 1974; Leibenguth et a!., 1979) that in eggs of .…”