Deletion in Ide generated by ends-out homologous recombination.
IdeKO mutants show a significant reduction in pupal volume in comparison to controls.
The 3-day delay in pupariation onset seen in wild type larvae raised in high-sucrose medium is prolonged by >1 day in IdeKO mutants. (Under regular feeding conditions, the mutant and wild type develop at almost the same rate.)
Whereas circulating levels of trehalose drop sharply after 24 hr starvation in wild type adult flies, levels remain close to those observed before starvation in IdeKO flies.
Flies homozygous for IdeKO are found to be viable and fertile with no obvious developmental defects. No significant difference is observed in mean body weight between IdeKO and wild-type controls. IdeKO homozygotes and wild-type controls show no significant difference in glucose concentration in the hemolymph. However, IdeKO mutant flies display 86% higher trehalose concentration in their hemolymph than do wild-type controls.
IdeKO mutant flies live longer than wild-type.