α-Cat²⁰⁴⁹ mutant embryos show anterior cuticle defects and frequently display holes, some also develop a completely dorsal open phenotype or dorsal holes. The mutants display a reduction in the velocity of progression of the leading edge during dorsal closure compared to wild-type controls, this is not due to a decrease in the number of cell delamination events as this is actually increased in the mutants while the total number of amnioserosa cells at the onset of tissue contraction is comparable to controls. There are however significant aberrations in the oscillatory and contractile behavior of amnioserosa cells during the dorsal closure process: whereas the amplitude of cell oscillations is only mildly affected, the period is clearly increased as is the length of both contraction and expansion half-cycles, the rate of apical cell contraction is lower and the cells develop a corrugated appearance. The actomyosin dynamics in these cells is perturbed.

α-Cat²⁰⁴⁹ has embryonic/larval cuticle | embryonic stage phenotype, enhanceable by Df(1)Vinc²

α-Cat²⁰⁴⁹ has embryonic/larval cuticle | embryonic stage phenotype, non-enhanceable by sqh^DD.UAS/Scer\GAL4^c381