Egg chambers homozygous for fs(1)5131 appear normal until stage 7, at which time the nurse cells display DNA fragmentation and disruption of their microtubule cytoskeleton. This is followed by nuclear condensation and cellular degeneration. In contrast, the follicle cells at this stage appear unaffected. Despite this phenotype, mitotic recombination experiments demonstrate that fs(1)513 function is somatically dependent.