Development of Eye Colors in Drosophila: Relation between Pigmentation and Release of the Diffusible Substances

Abstract

By the use of eye implants of mutants of the white series of allelomorphs (D. melanogaster), it is shown that the release of v* and en* substances is inversely proportional to the intensity of pigmentation of the eye used as source of the substances. Similarly, the conversion of v* substance to en* substance is inversely proportional to the pigmentation of the eye operating the conversion. There is a causal relationship between use and release of the substances: no substance is released by an eye as long as its own requirements are not satisfied.