gigas, a Drosophila homolog of tuberous sclerosis gene product-2, regulates the cell cycle

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder leading to the widespread development of benign tumors that often contain giant cells. We show that the Drosophila gene gigas encodes a homolog of TSC2, a gene mutated in half of TSC patients. Clones of gigas mutant cells induced in imaginal discs differentiate normally to produce adult structures. However, the cells in these clones are enlarged and repeat S phase without entering M phase. Our results suggest that the TSC disorder may result from an underlying defect in cell cycle control. We have also identified a Drosophila homolog of TSC1.