Preblastoderm embryos derived from homozygous females have defects in actin organisation; the actin cortex has variable thickness and concentration and actin distribution is uneven. Actin aggregates of various sizes are present in the cortical and subcortical regions. In most cases the fine and uniform actin meshwork is replaced by many small actin aggregates. Actin spheres are present, many having walls of non-uniform thickness and some are solid. No abnormalities in tubulin distribution have been detected. Syncytial blastoderm embryos derived from mutant females have defects in actin organisation, the most common being non-uniformity in the depth of the furrows and incomplete actin compartments that enclose two closely spaced nuclei. Other actin compartments lack nuclei. Oversized actin compartments are visible and they frequently contain large, probably polyploid nuclei. Syncytial embryos derived from mutant females have defects in nuclear and mitotic behaviour. Nuclei migrate prematurely and asynchronously to the surface. Fusion of adjacent spindles and tripolar spindles are seen. Microtubule asters are seen without associated nuclei in pre-blastoderm and syncytial blastoderm embryos. Nuclei are unevenly distributed in syncytial blastoderm embryos. Polyploid nuclei are seen in pre-blastoderm and syncytial blastoderm embryos. Asynchrony in the cell cycle is also seen.
In cleavage stage swaunspecified mutant embryos, nuclear divisions are often abnormal from the first divisions onward, and centrosomes sometimes divide without nuclei. As a result, large regions in the embryo are depleted of nuclei. In addition, centrosomes are not stably anchored when they arrive at the cell cortex, but move backward and forward.
Mutant egg chambers show no gross defects in microtubule arrangements.
Embryos derived from swaunspecified mutant females have head and abdominal defects. Many eggs are already defective in early cleavage.
swaunspecified is a suppressor of female sterile | dominant phenotype of αTub67C1
swaunspecified is a suppressor of female sterile | dominant phenotype of αTub67C2
swaunspecified is rescued by swat528.11
