Abstract
We show that disruption of the CG31997 gene on the fourth chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster by grooveless mutations results in loss of the scutoscutellar sulcus, the hinge-like region between the two major divisions of the fly thorax necessary for normal wing movement in flight. This gene belongs to a family of arthropod secreted proteins with a single von Willebrand factor type C domain, and our study expands the biological roles of these enigmatic proteins to include morphogenesis.
