Conditional expression of spidey^GD3274 RNAi under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desat1.PB before mid-third instar larval stage (using Scer\GAL80^ts.αTub84B to limit the onset of expression to a particular time during development) results in complete pharate lethality of both males and females. When the expression is limited to after mid-third larval instar, most males eclose (although they show a significant delay in pupal formation compared to controls) but vast majority of females fails to do so and about 80% of pupae (male and female) display malformed leg phenotype. The surviving males display defects in cuticular lipids composition.

Animals expressing spidey^GD3274 RNAi under the control of Scer\GAL4^oeno.Switch (and fed RU-486 to activate the expression) exhibit altered levels of the steroid hormones 20-hydroxyecdysone and makisteron-A and their catabolic products compared to controls (RU-486 non-fed).

Adult flies expressing spidey^GD3274 RNAi under the control of Scer\GAL4^oeno.Switch and fed RU-486 only after eclosion to limit the knock-down to the adult stage show decreased resistance to desiccation, starvation, increased susceptibility to oxidative stress and shortened life-span.

Majority of adult males expressing spidey^GD3274 RNAi under the control of either Scer\GAL4^oeno.Switch or Scer\GAL4^Desat1.PB (using RU-486 food supplementation or Scer\GAL80^ts.αTub84B and temperature manipulations, respectively, to limit the expression to adulthood) display 'sticky' phenotype when they adhere strongly to vertical surfaces, unable to remove themselves or be removed even by vigorous shaking or knocking.

Expression of spidey^GD3274 under the control of Scer\GAL4^oeno.Switch (using RU-486 food supplementation to limit the expression to various time periods during adulthood) leads to decreasing cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) levels as the duration of the knock-down increases, the decrease is more pronounced in males than females. Most dramatic effects on CHC levels are observed when spidey^GD3274 RNAi is expressed immediately after eclosion and cannot be restored by alleviating the RNAi again (by removing the RU-486 expression activator).

Adult flies expressing spidey^GD3274 under the control of either Scer\GAL4^oeno.Switch or Scer\GAL4^{αTub84B.Switch.PK} (using RU-486 food supplementation to limit the time of expression so that viable adults are produced) do not display any decrease in total fatty acids compared to controls suggesting the loss of cuticular hydrocarbons is not due to biosynthesis defects or loss fatty acids precursors.

Expression of spidey^GD3274 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desat1.PB (using Scer\GAL80^ts.αTub84B to limit the time of expression so that viable adults are produced) leads to age-progressive oenocyte swelling and their ultimate loss.

Expression of spidey^GD3274 under the control of Scer\GAL4^Desat1.PB in larval oenocytes during starvation results in enlarged nuclei, as compared to controls.

Expression of CG1444^GD3274 under the control of Scer\GAL4^sal.BO results in semi-lethality at the L2/L3 larval transition.

At the L2/L3 transition larvae expressing CG1444^GD3274 under the control of Scer\GAL4^sal.BO found outside of the food show a defect in air-filling of their tracheal trunks.

Adults expressing CG1444^GD3274 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.