Eukaryotes have a tight regulation on the expression of satellite DNA, but satellite DNA misexpression is associated with chromosome segregation problems and cancer. Satellite DNA also interests genomic and evolution researchers with its contributions to inter-species genetic incompatibilities. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the Responder (Rsp) locus of satellite DNA is particularly interesting because Segregation Distorter, a notorious selfish genetic complex, targets it. While the Rsp satellite has intrigued researchers for decades, its repetitive and pericentromeric nature make it difficult to study. We took advantage of recent developments in long read single molecule real time sequencing (SMRT) technology from PacBio RS II to assemble the Rsp satellite and use this assembly as a platform to study the regulation of Rsp satellite expression. Our preliminary Northern blot demonstrates that Rsp is expressed and the Rsp transcripts differ between the ovary and the female carcass, indicating differences in regulation of the satellite between the germline and the soma. By aligning RNA expression profile data from the modENCODE project to our complete Rsp assembly, we show that the Rsp satellite expression increases from newly eclosed flies to 30-days-old flies. Our interpretation of these data is that the Rsp satellite is misregulated as the flies age, perhaps as a result of more global effects of age-related heterochromatin misregulation. We are studying detailed changes in expression level, transcript size and transcript composition in flies of increasing age using Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR. We aim to understand the molecular details behind this age-related misregulation of satDNA by studying the abundance and types of transcripts produced as flies age. Knowing how factors like aging can affect the Rsp locus' expression will shine light on our understanding of how satellite DNAs are regulated.