A monoclonal antibody specific for diploid epithelial cells in Drosophila

Results from various experiments suggest that the cell surface has an important role in development. However, there is relatively little information on the specific surface molecules involved in developmental processes. In an effort to characterize cell-surface components that may be involved in Drosophila development, we have been making monoclonal antibodies against D. melanogaster imaginal disks. The holometabolous insects are unusual in that scattered among the larval tissues are groups of undifferentiated imaginal cells which, during metamorphosis, will form most of the adult insect. The imaginal disks, which we use as an immunogen, are hollow sacs of cells; each disk will form a specific part of the adult cuticle. Other imaginal cells are found as nests or rings in various larval organs. We describe here results indicating that one of the clones we have isolated, DA.1B6, makes an antibody against an antigen which, in larvae, is generally restricted to the undifferentiated sheets of imaginal epithelial cells. This and other results indicate that the antigen is specific for the diploid epithelia in Drosophila.