Expression of Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} RNAi under the control of either the Scer\GAL4^how-24B or the Scer\GAL4^Mef2.PR driver results in severe muscle degeneration (absent or ruptured muscles, fibers detached from tendon cells) in high proportion of third instar larvae compared to controls. During embryogenesis the musculature is not affected regardless of the driver used.

Expression of Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} RNAi under the control of either Scer\GAL4^sr-md710 or Scer\GAL4^Mhc.PW does not significantly increase muscle degeneration compared to controls either in the embryos or the third instar larvae.

Expression of Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} RNAi under the control of either Scer\GAL4^how-24B or Scer\GAL4^Mef2.PR leads to majority of animals dying before eclosion as pharate adults. Flies that manage to eclose die within 1 day post-eclosion. Expression under any of the following: Scer\GAL4^elav.PLu, Scer\GAL4^sr-md710 or Scer\GAL4^Mhc.PW does not affect pupal lethality.

Actin organization in the third instar larval muscles is disrupted in animals expressing Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} under the control of Scer\GAL4^how-24B but their T-tubular structure and sarcolemma integrity are not affected.

Expression of Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} under the control of Scer\GAL4^how-24B results in signs of muscle necrosis in third instar larvae manifested on the ultrastructural level mostly by swollen mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum, disorganized actin-myosin filaments.

Myogenesis and attachment of thoracic muscles is not impaired in pharate adults expressing Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} under the control of either Scer\GAL4^sr-md710 or Scer\GAL4^Mef2.PR. However, adult flies expressing Dys^{dsRNA.COOH.Scer\UAS} under Scer\GAL4^Mef2.PR that survive to only partially eclose from their pupal cases or eclose but die within the day show severe muscle degeneration at the ultrastructural level.