Date of Award:
5-1967
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
Wildland Resources
Department name when degree awarded
Zoology
Committee Chair(s)
John R. Simmons
Committee
John R. Simmons
Committee
D. M. Hammond
Abstract
The enzyme tryptophan pyrrolase is controlled by the vermilion locus in Drosophila melanogaster and is normally lacking in the vermilion mutants. During this investigation it has been demonstrated that v1;bw flies have tryptophan pyrrolase activity when grown under near starvation conditions.
During development of the fly there is a peak of enzyme activity in the early third instar soon after the transfer to starvation medium. A second peak of enzyme activity occurs during the pupal stage. The activity in v1;bw pupae is about 15% of the activity found in cn bw adults.
In v1;bw pupae grown on standard medium there is· a small but detectable amount of tryptophan pyrrolase activity which probably accounts for the slight pigmentation normally observed in these flies.
It was shown that prolongation of development by low temperature or by choline deficient medium cannot account for the increase in pigmentation observed under starvation conditions.
The possibility that one group of the vermilion mutants is involved in the control of tryptophan pyrrolase is discussed.
Checksum
49e9ce9af8f7073b062491fa40d08e05
Recommended Citation
Shelton, Ernest E. Jr., "The "Starvation Effect" and Tryptophan Pyrrolase Activity in the Vermilion Mutant of Drosophila" (1967). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 8268.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/8268
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