A Mutation that Causes Muscle Defects also Affects Catecholamine Metabolism in Drosophila

Abstract

Biochemical analyses, employing HPLC and electrochemical detection, have shown that the mutation adl-1, which causes muscle defects, also induces a temperature-sensitive defect in catecholamine metabolism. The pool sizes of N-acetyldopamine (NADA) and N-β-alanyldopamine (NBAD) in mutant adults incubated at 29^o attain only a fraction, dependent on the length of incubation, of those in mutants incubated at 22^o or in controls. The differences are more striking in relevant hemizygotes. Notably, dopamine is unaffected. Concomitant examination of behavior revealed a correlation between decreases in NADA and NBAD and decreases in locomotor function. That these observations suggest a requirement for catecholamine metabolism in muscle function is discussed.

Key Words:

• adult lethal mutant
• catecholamine
• Drosophila
• muscle
• temperature-sensitive