Adult flies expressing DesiScer\UAS.cKa under the control of Scer\GAL4Desi.PK ingest significantly more water after 8 hrs (or more) of desiccation stress than wild-type controls. They do not display any difference in feeding activity under overly humid (100% RH) conditions but feed significantly more compared to controls when kept in desiccating conditions for a prolonged period of time.
Third instar larvae expressing DesiScer\UAS.cKa under the control of Scer\GAL4Act.PU show the same survival rate after 8 hours of desiccation as wild-type controls. Second instar larvae expressing DesiScer\UAS.cKa under the control of Scer\GAL4Act.PU show a slight but significant increase in survival after 3 hours of desiccation compared to wild-type controls.