EXPRESSION OF THE MATERNAL EFFECT INVOLVING THE LIGHT LOCUS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Abstract

The maternal effect associated with the light locus in Drosophila melanogaster was examined using chromatography and fluorometry. Homozygous light progeny from lt/lt females have less yellow pigment (composed primarily of riboflavin) in their Malpighian tubes than do offspring (lt/lt) of heterozygous females. This difference in pigment quantity is detectable during larval, pupal, and adult life. In contrast, no maternal effect could be detected for isoxanthopterin content in third-instar larvae and adults suggesting that the larval genome controls synthesis of this substance.