Myogenesis in primary cell cultures from Drosophila melanogaster: protein synthesis and actin heterogeneity during development.

Muscle cell cultures from Drosophila melanogaster were obtained by plating dissociated gastrula stage embryo cells on protamine-treated culture dishes. They myogenic cells in these cultures fuse to form multinucleated pulsating cells by 15 hr after plating. An analysis of protein synthesis during myogenesis in these cultures, as measured by the incorporation of 35S-methionine and analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, showed profound changes in the pattern of protein synthesis. This analysis enabled us to identify three distinct classes of proteins. Class A proteins, the most abundant, are synthesized continuously throughout myogenesis, class B proteins are those proteins whose synthesis is initiated during myogenesis and continued throughout development; class C proteins are those synthesized at specific times during development. In addition, three forms of actin have been identified in these cultures. Actin I, which shows increased synthesis concomitant with the myogenic development in these cultures, is apparently a muscle-specific form of actin. Actin II, the predominant "cytoplasmic" form of actin in the nonmuscle Schneider cell line 2, is also the major form in the gastrula cultures before differentiation begins. Synthesis of this actin continues in the myogenic cultures. Actin III is a rapidly turning over form of actin which does not accumulate in either the Schneider cells or the myogenic cultures.