Screen for new mutations on the 2nd chromosome involved in indirect flight muscle development in Drosophila melanogaster

An extensive ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis of Drosophila melanogaster was undertaken to isolate the stronger alleles of 3 indirect flight-muscle mutations. We isolated 17 strong mutant lines, with nearly complete penetrance and expressivity, using direct screening under polarized light, from more than 1700 mutagenized chromosomes. On complementation, we found 11 of these 17 mutant lines to be alleles of 3 indirect flight-muscle mutations (Ifm(2)RU1, 3 non-complementing lines; ifm(2)RU2, 6 alleles; ifm(2)RU3, 2 alleles) of the previously isolated 8 complementation groups (Ifm(2)RU1to ifm(2)RU8). In addition, we found 6 new complementation groups with strong defects in adult-muscle morphology; we named these ifm(2)RS1 to ifm(2)RS6. All mutant lines were mapped by meiotic recombination, and 5 of the 6 new complementation lines were mapped using chromosome deficiencies. ifm(2)RS1 maps to a region that harbors ifm(2)RU4 (a mutation that was isolated previously); however, theses are not alleles because each complements the other mutation, and the mutant-muscle phenotype is very different. We used direct screening under polarized light to find recessive mutations; although this method was labor intensive, it can be used to identify recessive genes involved in myogenesis, unlike screens for flightlessness or wing-position defects. This screen identifies regions on the second chromosome that harbor probable genes that are likely expressed in the mesoderm and are thought to be involved in myogenesis. This screen has generated valuable resources that will help us to understand the role of many molecular players involved in myogenesis.