Sec61β, a subunit of the protein translocation channel, is required during Drosophila development

We have identified and isolated mutations in the first Drosophila gene encoding a subunit of the Sec61 protein translocation channel, DSec61β. While neither the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sec61β nor its functional Escherichia coli homologue are essential for viability or for protein translocation, we show that DSec61β is essential for embryonic development. Homozygous mutant embryos die at the end of embryogenesis and are impaired in the secretion of cuticle proteins from the epidermis. DSec61β germ line clones, result in defects in dorso-ventral patterning of the egg and are consistent with affected secretion of the protein Gurken from the oocyte to the follicle cells. Clonal analyses in the imaginal discs reveal defects in adult structures, including rhabdomere morphogenesis and a reduction of the size of tarsal segments in the leg. This is the first in vivo study of a component of the protein translocation machinery in higher eukaryotes, and illustrates how a protein that has an inessential, kinetic function in single-cell organisms can become critical for the complex development of a multicellular organism.