A recombinant dilp2GS-rpr donor line for adult-inducible IPC ablation across Drosophila genetic backgrounds

Genetic-background studies require defined perturbations that can be crossed reproducibly into many recipient backgrounds. We generated a Drosophila dilp2GS-rpr donor line for adult-inducible ablation of insulin-producing cells (IPCs), which secrete insulin-like peptides and provide a tractable model of insulin-deficient metabolic physiology. This line carries dilp2-GeneSwitch-GAL4 and UAS-reaper in cis on the same second chromosome homolog over a balancer. PCR genotyping and sequencing confirmed both transgenic elements in the candidate recombinant line. RU486 induction reduced dilp2 mRNA expression, supporting partial IPC ablation. Treatment-duration testing identified 8 days of RU486 as sufficient to increase whole-body glucose in the dilp2GS-rpr line but not in the background-matched control; food intake did not differ between RU486- and vehicle-treated flies. Across metabolic assays, whole-body glucose showed the clearest RU486- and line-dependent phenotype. This validated dilp2GS-rpr line enables testing how recipient genetic backgrounds modify inducible IPC/DILP metabolic phenotypes and provides a framework for similar linked donor-line resources.