Distinct requirements for the AP-3 adaptor complex in pigment granule and synaptic vesicle biogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.
The AP-3 adaptor protein complex has been implicated in the biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles, such as pigment granules/melanosomes, and synaptic vesicles. Here we compare the relative importance of AP-3 in the biogenesis of these organelles in Drosophila melanogaster. We report that the Drosophila pigmentation mutants orange and ruby carry genetic lesions in the sigma3 and beta3- adaptin subunits of the AP-3 complex, respectively. Electron microscopy reveals dramatic reductions in the numbers of electron-dense pigment granules in the eyes of these AP-3 mutants. Mutant flies also display greatly reduced levels of pigments housed in these granules. In contrast, electron microscopy of retinula cells reveals numerous synaptic vesicles in both AP-3 mutant and wild-type flies, while behavioral assays show apparently normal locomotor ability of AP-3 mutant larvae. Together, these results demonstrate that Drosophila AP-3 is critical for the biogenesis of pigment granules, but is apparently not essential for formation of a major population of synaptic vesicles in vivo.[1]References
- Distinct requirements for the AP-3 adaptor complex in pigment granule and synaptic vesicle biogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Mullins, C., Hartnell, L.M., Bonifacino, J.S. Mol. Gen. Genet. (2000) [Pubmed]
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