The focus of anti-tubulin staining is located anteriorly or laterally in stage 2-6 mael^r20/Df(3L)79E-F oocytes (but not at the posterior as in wild type) consistent with the hypothesis that the microtubule organising centre is misplaced. "Loose" centriole clusters are seen either at the anterior of the oocyte or near the lateral surface in stage 2 mael^r20/Df(3L)79E-F oocytes, in contrast to wild type where the centriole cluster is at the extreme posterior.

Mutant egg chambers have two anterior organising centres. Posterior follicle cells adopt anterior fates. Follicle cell fates along the D/V axis are also altered. Dorsal appendages are fused or lost and the follicle cell imprints on the dorsal side of the egg are more rounded than in wild-type. Mutant eggs are slightly smaller than wild-type. Microtubule cytoskeleton in mael^r15/mael^r20 oocytes is defective due to premature streaming of the microtubules. Germline mosaics reveal mael acts in the germline, mosaics exhibit egg shell and oocyte polarity defects.