The "T2A" peptide from Thosea asigna followed by the GAL4 coding region has been inserted within exon 14 of rk within the CH322-119A8 Pacman genomic clone that contains the complete rk locus. Exon 14 is shared by all predicted rk splice variants. The insertion of this sequence results in a non-functional truncated rk protein being produced. The "T2A" peptide supports ribosomal skipping, allowing the GAL4 protein to be translated independently of the upstream rk protein sequences, resulting in functional GAL4 protein being expressed under the control of rk regulatory sequences.
ScerGAL4rk.pan drives expression in the visceral muscle of the adult midgut in the region R4/R5 transition region. ScerGAL4rk.pan also drives expression in terminal tracheal cells in close proximity to adult fat bodies, and in neurons of the corpus cardiacum.
ScerGAL4rk.pan drives expression in a subset of CNS neurons synaptically downstream of CCAP/burs neurons. The expression pattern is almost entirely non-overlapping with that of ScerGAL4CCAP-R-MI05804-TG4.1, which drives in the pattern of the CCAP receptor.
ScerGAL4rk.pan drives expression in the visceral muscle of the midgut at pupal and adult stages.
ScerGAL4rk.pan drives expression in a pattern fully recapitulating that of endogenous rk, including in the epidermis and unexpanded wings of newly eclosed flies, in the pharate adult CNS, in both virgin and mated spermatheca, and in the adult midgut.
Scer\GAL4rk.pan/rkUAS.RA rescues rk4