Pdh1 animals exhibit defects in the function of abdominal lateral pentascolopidial chordotonal organ lch5 (in third instar larvae) and Johnston organ (in adults) mechanoreceptors compared to controls.
Pdh1 flies exposed to a light/dark cycle undergo a progressive loss of rhabdomeres. Pdh1 mutant flies start to lose rhabdomeres at about 10 days of age, and virtually no rhabdomeres corresponding to the R1-R6 photoreceptor cells remain after 30 days. The cell bodies also show an accumulation of prominent vacuoles, which is most notable in 40-day-old flies. Pdh1 mutant flies maintained in the dark for 30 days do not show retinal degeneration indicating that this phenotype is strictly light dependent. The light-dependent retinal degeneration is not reversible.
Young (1-day-old) Pdh1 mutant flies display deactivation afterpotential in electroretinogram recordings similar to wild-type.
After 7 days under a light/dark cycle, Pdh1 mutant flies do not display deactivation afterpotential in electroretinogram recordings. In contrast, display deactivation afterpotential can be observed in Pdh1 mutant flies maintained for 20 days in the dark.
The generation of retinols is disrupted in Pdh1 mutant flies.
Pdh1 has abnormal neurophysiology | recessive phenotype, suppressible by Scer\GAL4rdhB.PW/Hsap\RDH12UAS.cWa
Pdh1 has rhabdomere phenotype, suppressible by Scer\GAL4rdhB.PW/Hsap\RDH12UAS.cWa
Expression of Hsap\RDH12Scer\UAS.cWa under the control of Scer\GAL4CG7077.PW in retinal pigment cells partially suppresses the Pdh1 phenotype as measured in electroretinogram recordings. Deactivation afterpotential is generated in flies expressing Hsap\RDH12Scer\UAS.cWa in retinal pigment cells even after 7 days under a 12 hour light/12 hour dark cycle, although they are reduced relative to wild-type. Expressing Hsap\RDH12Scer\UAS.cWa in retinal pigment cells also diminishes the severity of the retinal degeneration in Pdh1 flies.
Pdh1 is rescued by Pdh+tCH322-23P6