The Drosophila tissue polarity gene inturned functions prior to wing hair morphogenesis in the regulation of hair polarity and number

The adult cuticular wing of Drosophila is covered with an array of distally pointing hairs. Mutations in the inturned (in) gene result in both abnormal hair polarity (i.e., hairs no longer point distally), and, in most cells forming more than one hair. We have isolated and characterized a collection of in alleles. Among this collection of alleles are a number of rearrangements that enable us to assign in to 77B3-5. Almost all of the in alleles, including putative null alleles, result in a stronger phenotype on the wing at 18 degrees than 29 degrees. The data argue that the in-dependent process is cold-sensitive. Temperature shift experiments with a hypomorphic allele show that this cold sensitivity can be relieved by several hours of incubation at the permissive temperature at a variety of times in the early pupae, but that this ability ends prior to the start of hair morphogenesis. One new allele showed a dramatic heat sensitivity. Temperature shift experiments with this allele revealed a very short temperature-sensitive period that is a few hours prior to the start of hair morphogenesis. That the temperature during hair morphogenesis is irrelevant for the phenotype of in is consistent with the hypothesis that the only role that in has in wing hair development is to regulate the initiation of hair morphogenesis.