Developmental effects of exposing Drosophila embryos to ether vapour.

Drosophila embryos at precise developmental stages were exposed to ether vapour. The defects in the resulting embryos and adults were observed. Ether disrupted embroygenesis in specific ways, causing defects primarily at the anterior of the embryo and disorganizing the arrangement of the segments. Adults showed deficiencies and duplications of many imaginal disc and histoblast derivatives. Phenocopies of the bithorax mutation which transforms metathorax to mesothorax were observed. They were first induced at the syncytial blastoderm stage, had their peak of production at the cellular blastoderm, and were no longer observed after the anterior and posterior midgut were partially invaginated. It was observed that not only are the halter/wing transformations confined to the anterior compartment, but also leg 3 to leg 2 transformations only occurred in the anterior leg compartment.