Mutants show defects in salivary gland migration during embryogenesis; although the salivary glands begin to migrate posteriorly in homozygous embryos, detachment of the gland from the circular visceral mesoderm is delayed, impeding further migration of the gland.
The circular visceral mesoderm is disorganized in mutant embryos and does not elongate in the dorsal-ventral axis to the same extent as in wild-type embryos.