Expression of Hsap\APP^{Aβ42.Scer\UAS.T:hh} under the control of Scer\GAL4^GMR.PF causes progressive eye degeneration correlated with age and expression levels. The eye distortion phenotype is enhanced by zinc or copper ion food supplements. The eye degeneration is ameliorated by zinc/copper and copper chelators. In control flies not expressing Hsap\APP^{Aβ42.Scer\UAS.T:hh}, normal eye structure is not affected by copper or zinc ion treatment. The eye degeneration phenotype caused by expression of Hsap\APP^{Aβ42.Scer\UAS.T:hh} under the control of Scer\GAL4^GMR.PF is strongly enhanced by hydrogen peroxide at a dosage that does not affect wild-type flies.

Expression of Hsap\APP^{Aβ42.Scer\UAS.T:hh} under the control of Scer\GAL4^Act.PU reduces viability, evident as a lower eclosion rate. Viability is further reduced by dietary zinc ion supplement, but not by copper ion supplement or copper depletion. The decline in survival is counteracted by supplementing DP-109 (a Zn/Cu metal chelator) in the food, but not by supplementing another Cu-only specific chelator, BCS.

When the expression of Hsap\APP^{Aβ42.Scer\UAS.T:hh} is directed to the nervous system by using a neuron specific driver (Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu), the flies exhibit defects in locomotion which is more severe upon dietary zinc ion supplementation, as measured by a standard climbing assay. Zinc ion chelators ameliorate this phenotype.

Hsap\APP^{Aβ42.UAS.Tag:SS(hh)}, Scer\GAL4^GMR.PF has eye phenotype, enhanceable by MTF-1^unspecified