CdsA1/CdsACB-0128-3 as well as CdsA1/CdsAEY08412 and CdsA1/CdsAUM-8246-3 adult males are fertile, while CdsA1/Df(3L)BSC795 males are sterile.
CdsA1 mutants have ectopic lipid droplets in their salivary glands.
When grown in constant light, mutant photoreceptors show vesiculation and a variable reduction in the size of the rhabdomeres. In addition, the cell body of the photoreceptors show the presence of abnormal expanded endomembranes. In some cases, these structures appear studded with electron-dense structures resembling ribosomes.
Mutant retinal extracts show a significant elevation of a single species of phosphatidic acid (predicted fatty acyl composition 16:0 / 18:2 ) compared to controls. The levels of phosphatidylcholine, diacylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol in the retinal extracts are normal.
Whole cell patch-clamp recordings of dissociated ommatidia from CdsA1 mutants raised in the dark show no Shab-mediated light-dependent modulation of the delayed rectifier current when stimulated with light. Increasing the light level by a factor of ten causes an irreversible upregulation by up to 35%. Adding 26 μM di-C[8] PIP[2] into the extracellular solution results in an upregulation of approximately 15% and a return to baseline within 4 minutes.
CdsA1 mutants do not have the ability to discriminate between 18[o]C and temperatures between 20-24[o]C. The ability to choose 18[o]C over temperatures in the 14-16 and 26-32[o]C ranges is not impaired.
Mutant flies show photoreceptor degeneration when raised in bright light.
CdsA1 flies undergo age-dependent loss of the rhabdomeres; almost all the rhabdomeres have degenerated following 5 days under a light/dark cycle.
The peak amplitude of the photoreceptors in response to light is reduced by about 50% compared to wild type and the time-to-peaks are slightly delayed. Quantum bumps are indistinguishable from wild type. Mutant photoreceptors exposed to La3+ show no recovery after a light stimulus of sufficient intensity and duration to induce complete decay, in contrast to wild type (which recover within about 90 seconds). Relatively dim flashes repeated at 30 second intervals in a Ca2+ free solution result in an exponential and irreversible reduction in sensitivity in mutant photoreceptors (in wild type the response recovers fully between flashes).
Physiological defect, reduced light sensitivity. Morphological defect, photoreceptors undergo severe light-dependent degeneration, UV-sensitive R7 cells are more resistant to degeneration. P{CdsA+10} can fully rescue the light-dependent retinal degeneration of CdsA1 mutants. P{arr-cds} can fully rescue the morphological and physiological defects of CdsA1 mutants. Double mutants with norpA39 confer protection from light-dependent degeneration. Double mutants with Arr23 are unable to enter or maintain a prolonged depolarised afterpotential (PDA), even after successive or prolonged blue light stimulation.
Cds1 is a non-suppressor of abnormal neurophysiology phenotype of Gαq1
Cds1 has salivary gland phenotype, enhanceable by Seipinnull
Cds1 has lipid droplet | ectopic phenotype, enhanceable by Seipinnull
Cds1 has eye photoreceptor cell phenotype, enhanceable by ArfGAP1UAS.cRa/Scer\GAL4GMR.PF
Cds1 has rhabdomere phenotype, enhanceable by garzEP2028/Scer\GAL4GMR.PF
Cds1 has rhabdomere phenotype, enhanceable by ArfGAP1UAS.cRa/Scer\GAL4GMR.PF
Cds1 has eye photoreceptor cell phenotype, enhanceable by rdgA3
Cds1 has rhabdomere phenotype, suppressible by PisninaE.PW
Cds1 is an enhancer of salivary gland phenotype of Seipinnull
Cds1 is an enhancer of lipid droplet | ectopic phenotype of Seipinnull
Cds1 is an enhancer of rhabdomere phenotype of Scer\GAL4GMR.PF, garzEP2028
Cds1 is an enhancer of rhabdomere phenotype of ArfGAP1UAS.cRa, Scer\GAL4GMR.PF
Cds1 is an enhancer of eye photoreceptor cell phenotype of rdgA3
Cds1 is a non-suppressor of photoreceptor neuron phenotype of Gαq1
CdsA1, Seipinnull double mutants exhibit a strong synergistic phenotype (compared to either single mutant) with respect to ectopic lipid droplets in the salivary gland.
There is more phosphatidic acid in the salivary glands of CdsA1; Seipinnull mutants than in CdsA1 single mutants.
Expression of garzEP2028 under the control of Scer\GAL4GMR.PF in a CdsA1 background under bright light illumination results in significantly worse defects in rhabdomere size and structure compared to CdsA1 single mutants of flies expressing garzEP2028 under the control of Scer\GAL4GMR.PF in a wild-type background. There is no change in the accumulation of membranes in the cell body of the photoreceptors in the double mutant flies.
Expression of Gap69CScer\UAS.cRa under the control of Scer\GAL4GMR.PF in a CdsA1 background under bright light illumination results in a dramatic increase in the accumulation of whorls of endomembrane within the cell body, accompanied by poorly formed rhabdomeres.
Expression of PisninaE.PW partially suppresses the CdsA1 retinal degeneration phenotype; after 5 days under a light/dark cycle, PisninaE.PW; CdsA1 flies have ommatidia that contain several rhabdomeres whereas almost all rhabdomeres have degenerated in CdsA1 flies at this stage.
Hybrid dysgenesis induced excisions of the P-element generate wild type revertants, ERGs demonstrate light sensitivity is normal. A second class show a reduced ERG response, representing imprecise excisions and internal deletions of the P-element. A third class show a much greater response to light, this may represent misregulation of CdsA due to aberrant excision events. A fourth class are homozygous lethals.