Fig. 2

Fig. 2 Fermitins regulate coupling between cardiomyocytes.

The monochrome micrographs show the adult Drosophila heart (segments A2 to A5) stained with phalloidin, oriented with the anterior region to the left. Genes were silenced using the Hand-Gal4 enhancer which drives expression in cardiomyocytes (as well as pericardial nephrocytes and enterocytes of the gut) and abnormal cardiomyocyte/heart morphology is highlighted by the arrows. The colour panels show higher magnification micrographs of at least two cardiomyocytes stained with phalloidin (red) and antibodies to the Drosophila β-integrin, myospheroid (green); arrowheads indicate normal integrin staining between cardiomyocytes; asterisks indicate an abnormal staining pattern associated with loss of cardiomyocyte junction integrity. A wild type phenotype (Hand-Gal4; w¹¹¹⁸), is characterised by contiguous cardiomyocytes and β-integrin staining between cardiomyocytes.