Spg7^del mutants are viable and fertile, with no detectable anatomical or behavioral phenotypes at a young age, but are significantly short lived and 4 weeks old post eclosion show decreased climbing and flying activity and shown high frequency of paralysis upon heat (36[o]C for 6min) and mechanical (bang) shock, as compared to controls; 4 weeks old Spg7^del mutant adults also display extensive brain vacuolization, disorganized photoreceptor synaptic terminals accumulate swollen and morphologically abnormal mitochondria, and loss of integrity of the indirect flight muscles that also show defective mitochondria (i.e. swollen, loosely packed mitochondria with disorganized cristae and compromised respiratory chain function at complexes I and II); Spg7^del mutant larvae show altered mitochondrial transport of along larval segmental nerves, namely a significant increase in the frequency of retrograde transport and a significant increase in the speed of anterograde transport, as compared to controls. Spg7^del mutants do not display alterations in the number of third instar larval neuromuscular junction synaptic boutons, axonal loss in motor neurons in the adult leg, or reduction in the number of photoreceptor neurons in the visual system, as compared to controls.

Spg7^del has short lived phenotype, non-enhanceable by Afg3l2[+]/Afg3l2^del