A unique cause of female sterility inDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Histological studies do not permit the distinction between an oocyte, ovary or oviduct malformation as the primary cause of sterility in females homozygous for the Hairywing 49c allele inDrosophila melanogaster. Reciprocal transplantations of larval ovaries between homozygous mutant larvae and normal larvae demonstrate that the sterility is due to a malfunctioning of the oviduct, presumably at the junction of the common oviduct and the uterus. This failure of the oviduct to function normally appears to represent a unique cause of female sterility in this organism.