Cell lineage and cell determination in the developing compound eye of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana

By grafting between eye colour mutants of the cockroach Periplaneta americana we have investigated (i) the hypothesis that cells within an ommatidium of the fused rhabdom type are clonally derived from a single mother cell and (ii) we have tested the suggestion that cells from non-prospective eye epidermis can form ommatidia when grafted next to eye tissue. Mosaic eyes containing cells of the two genotypes contain ommatidia with unpredictable combinations of the two sorts of cells at the host/graft border. This finding is inconsistent with the first hypothesis. Using grafts of prothoracic epidermis and head epidermis from non-prospective eye regions we have shown that only cells from the prospective eye region can form ommatidia. Possible ways that eye cells could be determined are discussed in the light of these findings.