Adult flies expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK ingest significantly less water after 8 hrs (or more) of desiccation stress than wild-type controls. They also display significantly lower feeding activity both under overly humid (100% RH) and desiccation conditions and have longer adult life-span compared to controls.

Expression of Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK but not that of Scer\GAL4^ppk28.PC leads to a significant decrease in water consumption by adult flies in a capillary feeding assay compared to controls.

Unlike controls, adult flies expressing Desi^GD3920 RNAi under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK (but not Scer\GAL4^Gr5a.8.5) do not show any strong preference for higher sucrose content in a two-way choice assay between 5 mM and 1 mM sucrose solutions. Similarly, unlike wild-type Desi^GD3920 expressing flies (driven by Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK) fail to show the normal distaste for caffeine in a binary choice between 5 mM sucrose solutions with or without caffeine supplement. Normal aversion behavior is observed when the RNAi expression is controlled by Scer\GAL4^Gr66a.PU.

Water-deprived adult flies expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK display reduced reflexive response (proboscis extension) to sensing water, sucrose or low concentration salt solutions compared to controls. On the other hand they show higher reflexive response to sucrose solution supplemented with either salt (at high concentration) or caffeine than controls. Flies expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^ppk28.PC or Scer\GAL4^Gr5a.8.5 or Scer\GAL4^Gr66a.PU show normal reflexive responses to various tastants.

Adult flies expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK display defective electrophysiological response to various tastants in labellum sensillum tip recordings: the frequencies of action potentials from the gustatory neurons in response to water, sucrose, salt or caffeine solutions was drastically reduced compared to controls. The Desi^GD3920 RNAi expression (controlled by Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK) leads to decreased water concentration inside labellar sensilla upon desiccation.

Expression of Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desi.PK does not alter labella morphology in adult flies.

Third instar larvae expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Act.PU show significantly decreased survival after 8 hours of desiccation (15% relative humidity) compared to wild-type controls. The mutant larvae show a significantly greater loss in body weight after 5 hours of desiccation than control larvae. Adults expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Act.PU in a 15% relative humidity environment show the same survival rate as control adults.

Larvae expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^{CG3800-NP5198} show significantly decreased survival after 10 hours of desiccation (15% relative humidity) compared to wild-type controls.

Larvae expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Act.PU in a 35% relative humidity environment are able to pupariate, but their mortality rate prior to eclosion is significantly higher than that of controls.

Adults expressing Desi^GD3920 under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu (in the presence of Dcr-2^Scer\UAS.cDa to increase the efficiency of RNAi) do not show a significant defect in avoidance of noxious temperature (46[o]C) compared to control flies.