Expression of Stim^GD16187 under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav-C155 combined with tub-Gal80[ts] to exert temporal control, leads to almost complete flightlessness in adult flies in a single flight assay on tethered flies if the expression is activated all through the development, just the pupal stage or during a period between 12 and 36h after puparium formation but has no effect on flight performance if limited to larval or adult stages.

A strong flight deficit is observed upon expression of Stim^GD16187 in dopaminergic neurons under the control of Scer\GAL4^ple.PF. The flight deficits correlated with abnormalities in action potentials recorded from dorsal longitudinal muscles during air puff-induced flight bouts.

Pupal expression of Stim^GD16187 in all dopaminergic neurons leads to partial flight defects.

Flies expressing Stim^GD16187 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Trh.PB show normal flight ability in a cylinder drop test. However, the flies show increased spontaneous firing from the dorsal longitudinal indirect flight muscles compared to wild type.

Expression of Stim^GD16187 under the control of the cardioblast-specific Scer\GAL4^tin.CΔ4 driver results in viable flies or partial lethality, depending on the particular P{GD16187} insertion line used.

Adults expressing Stim^GD16187 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.

Expression under the control of Scer\GAL4^pnr-MD237 results in loss of bristles on the notum in 50-60% of the Scer\GAL4^pnr-MD237 expression domain.

Expression under the control of Scer\GAL4^pnr-MD237 results in duplication of bristle hairs on the notum in 0-10% or 10-20% of the Scer\GAL4^pnr-MD237 expression domain, depending on the insertion line used.

No obvious changes are observed in Stim^GD16187 larvae. They are viable and pupate normally. Adult flies with pan-neural expression of Stim^GD16187 (under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav-C155) exhibit defective wing posture with significant loss of flight, as seen in the 'cylinder drop' test assay. Stim^GD16187 knockdown (under the control of Scer\GAL4^elav-C155) results in a complete loss of flight. Nonfliers with pan-neural expression of Stim^GD16187 selected from the cylinder drop test are either unable to initiate rhythmic action potentials in response to an air-puff stimulus or exhibit unsustained (<5s) and arrhythmic flight patters. Knockdown of Stim^GD16187 in glutamatergic neurons leads to a milder change in flight patterns compared with pan-neural knockdown. Recordings from resting DLMs of these flies reveals a high arrhythmic spontaneous firing rate of action potentials, the frequency of which is significantly higher than wild-type.