A recessive tumor gene function in Drosophila is involved in cell adhesion

The phenotypic effects of lethal (2) giant larvae mutations are due to unstructured growth of brain and imaginal disc cells in homozygous mutant larvae. Molecular properties of the wildtype l (2) gl protein and its tissue specificity of expression suggest that the protein is required for the adhesion of cells which are about the stop cell division and undergo terminal differentiation.