Figure 7
The loss of caz leads to neuron functional defects in Drosophila. (A-A') An eye from yw female flies showing wild-type ommatidial and rhabdomere structure. (B-B') An eye from caz heterozygous female flies shows the balancer marker and intact ommatidial and rhabdomere structure. (C-C') An eye from caz homozygous female fly shows the loss of ommatidia and the disrupted rhabdomere structure. (D) An eye from yw male fly showing normal ommatidial. (E) An eye from caz mutant male showing the loss of ommatidia. (F-F') A wild-type eye imaginal disc from the third instar larvae was stained for Elav and HRP to show the well-developed and well-organized structure of the ommatidia units. (G-H') Eye discs from either caz heterozygous or homozygous female third instar larvae were immunostained for Elav and HRP. (I-I') An eye disc from caz male larva was stained for Elav and HRP. (J) A graph of the average climbing distance of caz mutant adult flies at Day 2 after emergence. The same method was used as in Figure 4. N = 20 flies for each genotypic group. (K) A graph of the average moving distance of the third instar larvae of caz males traveling over 30 s (n = 15 male larvae scored for each group). Each larva was tested 3 times. (L-M) Quantification analysis of the large and small boutons in the NMJs from ventral longitudinal muscles 6 and 7 of segment A2 in caz mutant male larvae (mean ± s.d.; n ≥ 20). (N) A VNC from a caz mutant male fly expressing mGFP by OK371-Gal4 shows the disrupted motor neuron organization in A1-A5 neuromeres. (O) A large magnification image from N. The arrow indicates the motor neuron nuclear staining, which is similar to the nuclear staining of an adjacent cell (arrowhead). (P) TUNEL assay was performed on VNC from the larvae of a caz/+ female, caz/caz female, and caz male. A representative TUNEL image from the VNC of a caz male is shown here. None of the caz mutant larvae showed TUNEL-positive cells. (Q) An eye imaginal disc expressing Dicer and CazRNAi by GMR-Gal4 was stained for Elav and HRP. (R) A VNC from a third instar larva coexpressing mGFP with Dicer and CazRNAi shows the disorganization of motor neurons in A1-A5 neuromeres. (S) A large magnification image from R. The arrow indicates the motor neuron nuclear staining, which is similar to the nuclear staining of an adjacent cell (arrowhead).