Under normal culture conditions the lifespan of homozygous flies is reduced compared to wild-type flies (LT[[50]], time for half of the fly population to die is reduced from 70 days to approximately 40 days). The number of mitotic cells in the midgut is markedly increased in 30-35 and 45-50 day old homozygous flies compared to wild type.
The reduced lifespan of homozygous flies is restored almost to wild type if the flies are fed with a mixture of antibiotics (500 μg/mL ampicillin, 50 μg/mL tetracycline and 200 μg/mL rifamycin). The increased number of mitotic cells seen in the midgut of homozygous files under normal culture conditions is fully suppressed.
The paracellular space at the level of the smooth septate junction shows a gap of 30nm between the two plasma membranes in the midgut of homozygous adults (in contrast to the 20nm space seen in wild type) and does not contain the electron-dense structure seen in wild type.
The permeability of the gut to Dextran Blue is normal in homozygous adults.
bbgB211/bbgB211 and bbgEY02818/bbgB211 flies die faster than wild-type flies after oral infection with Serratia marcescens DB11.
bbgB211/bbgB211 flies die faster than wild-type flies after oral infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14.
