Expression of SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu (in combination with a Dicer-2 transgene to enhance RNAi efficiency) results in a significant decrease in egg-laying without affecting female receptivity, as compared to controls.

Virgin females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^dsx.KI are typically receptive. After mating they show no decrease in sexual receptivity or increase in ovipositor extrusions, in contrast to that seen in mated control females. Mated females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^dsx.KI show locomotor activity comparable to that of virgin control females and have significantly decreased levels of oviposition compared to mated control females.

Males spend significantly more time courting mated females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^dsx.KI compared to the time they spend courting control mated females. This effect is not seen if the males are paired with mutant decapitated females.

Expression of SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu, Scer\GAL4^ppk.PG, Scer\GAL4^NP2024, Scer\GAL4^UH3-50, Scer\GAL4^5-136, Scer\GAL4^UH11-2, Scer\GAL4^UH14-15 or Scer\GAL4^UH21-49 significantly reduces egg laying and increases mating receptivity in mated females, with no effect on virgin female mating receptivity, compared to controls.

Expression of SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^ppk.PG in sex peptide-injected virgin females increases mating receptivity, compared to controls.

Virgin females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^ppk.PG have normal sexual receptivity and a low egg-laying rate. However, mated females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^ppk.PG do not show a reduction in receptivity to courting males and do not increase their egg-laying rate, in contrast to wild-type mated females.

Mated females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^fru.P1.D do not show the normal postmating behaviours of a strongly reduced sexual receptivity and an increase in egg-laying rate. These postmating behaviours are restored if the mated females also carry Scer\GAL80^ppk.PY.

Virgin females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu show the same receptivity towards a naive wild-type male as control females. However, these females lay very few eggs after mating, in contrast to control females. If the mutant females are then tested for receptivity towards a second naive male after being allowed to lay eggs for 48 hours, they mate again at a high frequency and do not actively reject the second male, in contrast to control females tested under the same conditions.

Virgin females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu remain receptive in pairings with wild-type males even after injection of Acp70A protein, in contrast to wild-type females which are unreceptive after this treatment.

Virgin females expressing SPR^GD3236 under the control of Scer\GAL4^fru-GAL4 (these females also carry Dcr-2^Scer\UAS.cDa to enhance the transgenic RNAi effect) show the same receptivity towards a naive wild-type male as control females. However, these females lay very few eggs after mating, in contrast to control females. If the mutant females are then tested for receptivity towards a second naive male after being allowed to lay eggs for 48 hours, they mate again at a high frequency, in contrast to control females tested under the same conditions