LOCALIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF PROTEIN-KINASE-A DURING DROSOPHILA OOGENESIS

We have characterized the requirements for the Protein Kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit, DC0, in Drosophila oogenesis. Intercellular bridges in egg chambers from PKA deficient females are unstable, leading to t he formation of multinucleate nurse cells by fusions of adjacent cells , Germline clones of cells homozygous for null mutations of DC0 indica te that PKA acts autonomously in the germline. Highest levels of PKA c atalytic subunit protein are associated with germ cell membranes, sugg esting that targets of PKA are associated with the membrane or membran e skeleton and contribute to the stabilization of intercellular bridge s. The migration of a subset of follicle cells, the border cells, is a lso disrupted by germline PKA mutations, implying that nurse cell junc tions provide an essential path for border cell migrations.