Ocrl^Δ3 larvae show a dramatic increase in the number of both circulating and sessile hemocytes (which are often multinucleate suggesting cytokinetic defects and have spikier morphology due to increased F-actin assembly) compared to controls (no obvious differences in cell proliferation are observed however) and frequently display large melanotic masses in their posterior body cavity. Notably, Ocrl^Δ3 larvae accumulate excess hemocytes and die at late larval/pupal stage even when raised under axenic conditions. The primary lymph gland lobes of Ocrl^Δ3 mutants appear partially disintegrated, while secondary lobes are intact and the larvae also exhibit aberrations in hemocyte differentiation (abnormally high proportion of hemocytes also display lamellocyte marker and most of them morphologically resemble plasmatocytes). Defects in compartment abundance, morphology or behavior throughout the endosomal system are also observed: The Ocrl^Δ3 mutant hemocytes exhibit reduced internalization of protein in pulse-chase with maleylated BSA (bovine serum albumin), there is also a small deficit in phagocytosis assessed by the number of internalized Escherichia coli particles. Furthermore, the LysoTracker endolysosomal marker is highly increased.

Neither the excess of circulating hemocytes nor the melanotic mass phenotype is observed in the rescue Ocrl^Δ3;Dp(1;3)DC402 larvae, the hemocyte differentiation defects are also rescued.

Ocrl^Δ3 has hemocyte | increased number | third instar larval stage phenotype, non-suppressible by Rab5^{Q88L.UASp.YFP}/Scer\GAL4^He.PZ