pleated septate junction & tracheal system
Mutant embryos have elongated trachea.
pckG0012 mutant embryos are characterised by an elongated and tortuous dorsal trunk, the main trachea, and by irregular and stretched dorsal trunk cells.
In pckG0012 mutants, the lumenal chitin in the developing dorsal trunk of the tracheal system fails to form a filamentous cable running along the tube length, as in wild-type, but instead is amorphous and fills the lumen.
Elongated and tortuous tracheal branches, most prominantly in the dorsal trunk. Pleated septate junctions are absent from tracheal cells; intercellular cleft is instead filled with unstructured electron-dense material. Germline clone analysis revealed that embryos lacking maternal pck function form a normal tracheal system and develop into fertile adults. Zygotic mutant phenotype is indistinguishable from that of embryos lacking both maternal and zygotic component pck. Transepithelial barrier function is affected - rhodamine labelled dextran diffuses across the epithelial sheet.
Co-expression of Zzzz\NIaScer\UAS.cHa under the control of Scer\GAL4btl.PS produces tracheal defects in flies expressing pckT:Zzzz\TEV.CS in a pckG0012 mutant background, phenocopying the pckG0012 mutant phenotype.
pckG0012 is rescued by pckTag:CS(TEVp)
Expression of pckT:Zzzz\TEV.CS rescues the tracheal phenotypes seen in pckG0012 mutant embryos.
P{lacW} not verified as causing the lethality.
Mobilisation of the P{lacW} causes reversion of the mutant phenotype.