Photoreceptors are Cam deficient.
The light-induced current of isolated ommatidia is disrupted by a specific inhibitor of calcium-calmodulin.
ERG recording of the summed response of all retinal cells to light is indistinguishable from ninaC5 (a large corneal negative response after a 90 second dark adaption, followed by a slow return to baseline and a small or absent off-transient upon cessation of the initial light stimulus). Flies show a prolonged depolarization afterpotential (PDA) under reduced blue light intensities that did not induce PDAs in wild type or in ninaC5.
Deletion of the Cam binding domain causes a defect in phototransduction, displayed by a defective ERG. Flies do not undergo the age- and light-dependent retinal degradation.