Terminal filament cell organization in the larval ovary of Drosophila melanogaster: ultrastructural observations and pattern of divisions

The adult ovary of Drosophila is composed of approximately twenty parallel repetitive structures called ovarioles. The ovarioles appear at the prepupal stage and their formation requires the presence of stacks of discshaped cells called the terminal filaments. Terminal filaments form in a progressive manner during the third larval instar. We have looked at the beginning of formation of both the terminal filaments and ovarioles at an ultrastructural level. Moreover, we studied the pattern of division of the terminal filament cell precursors using the base analog, BrdU. Two main waves of division are observed. The first wave consists of divisions of almost all the terminal filament cell precursors during a short period of time at the transition between the second and third larval instar. The second wave, in which the precursors carry out their final divisions before differentiating, occurs gradually, going from the medial to the lateral side of the ovary during the first half of the third larval instar.