Developmental stage- and tissue-specific expression of shibire, a Drosophila gene involved in endocytosis.

Dynamin, a microtubule-activated GTPase, has recently been identified as the product of the shibire gene in Drosophila. shi(ts) mutants are defective in synaptic vesicle recycling, which leads to rapid and reversible temperature-sensitive paralysis. In the present study, results from RNase protection assays and analysis of cDNA clones define a complex pattern of developmental- and tissue-specific alternative splicing at two sites within the coding region. This analysis is also supported by western blot analysis with two polyclonal antibodies. In situ hybridization data revealed a high concentration of shi transcripts in the central and peripheral nervous system throughout neuronal development. Other than the nervous system, shi transcripts are also expressed at a high level in early embryos, larval imaginal discs, and male and female gonads. These data provide a basis for interpreting the wide range of phenotypic effects of shi mutations in terms of the putative membrane-sorting properties of dynamin and for further functional study of different dynamin isoforms.