Induction of pole cells in sterilized Drosophila embryos by injection of subcellular fraction from eggs.

A subcellular fraction isolated from a homogenate of young Drosophila embryos was shown to be capable of inducing pole cells when injected into UV-sterilized Drosophila embryos. Most of the pole cell-inducing activity was recovered from the precipitate after centrifugation at 27,000 x g. The activity remained in this precipitate (called F-3 fraction hereafter) even after membranous structures were removed from it through centrifugation on a sucrose density gradient. Dialysis, lyophilization, and heating at 80 degrees C for 10 min did not inactivate the F-3 fraction. The pole cells, which were produced when the F-3 fraction was injected at the posterior pole of UV-sterilized embryos, did not develop into germ cells. Furthermore, the F-3 fraction was unable to induce pole cells when injected into the anterior region of the egg. These results can be explained by assuming that (i) pole cell formation and germ cell determination are controlled by different factors, (ii) pole cell formation requires at least two factors, which are normally localized in the posterior-pole cytoplasm, one of which is sensitive and one resistant to the UV dosage we used, and (iii) the subcellular fraction we obtained contains the UV-sensitive factor but not the UV-resistant factor.