NUTRITIONAL REGULATION OF ANTENNAL-LEG HOMOEOTIC MUTANTS IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

The expression of the antennal homoeotic mutant, Nasobemia, is shown to be strongly dependent on nutrition. Dietary deficiencies in any of the following: thiamine, calcium pantothenate, nicotinic acid or RNA, cause a curing of the homoeotic defect. It is demonstrated that the effects of thiamine and pantothenate are through limiting acetyl-CoA synthesis and that fatty acids are required for high penetrance of the Ns gene. Similar nutritional effects are described for other Antennapedia and aristapedia alleles. The period of sensitivity to nutritional changes is defined for Ns and compared with the period of temperature sensitivity. These results suggest the hypothesis that the homoeotic mutations Antennapedia and aristapedia share some common metabolic requirements which involve synthesis of acetyl-CoA. © 1979, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.