Blue light-induced chromophore supply (BLICS)

Newly eclosed flies fed on carotenoid-deprived food (1% agar, 10% dry-yeast, 10% sucrose, 0.02% cholesterol, 0.5% propionate and 0.05% methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate) were switched to carotenoid-deprived food supplemented with crystalline all-trans-retinal (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) in the dark. After one or two nights in the dark, flies were irradiated with a 405 nm diode laser module at 30 mW for 20 min (Pepaless, Hyogo) to isomerize the all-trans retinal to 11-cis-form and initiate Rh1 exit from the ER.