Strain Name:
B6.Cg-Tyrc-ch/Mmmh
Stock Number:
000144-MU
Citation ID:
RRID:MMRRC_000144-MU
Major Collection:

Strain Information

Tyrc-ch
Name: tyrosinase; chinchilla
Synonyms: cr, cch
Type: Allele
Species: Mus musculus (mouse)
Chromosome: 7
Alteration at locus: Spontaneous Mutation
Tyr
Name: tyrosinase
Synonyms: skc35, Oca1
Type: Gene
Species: Mouse
Chromosome: 7
Alteration at locus: Spontaneous Mutation
NCBI: 22173
Homologene: 30969
Genotype Determination
Phenotype
The albino (Tyr) locus encodes the rate-limiting enzyme for pigmentation, which is TYROSINASSE. The absolute requirement for functional TYROSINASE to catalyze the formation of melanin pigment is illustrated by the phenotypes of mice that lack this locus as a result of deletion, for example mice heterozygous for two overlapping deletions, MMRRC:009964 and MMRRC:009965, in which the albino locus is absent. The mice also lack all melanin pigment. Vertebrates that lack normal tyrosinase are characterized by reduction or absence of pigmentation in the eyes and/or skin. If the reduction of pigmentation is severe, optic nerve development may be abnormal, resulting in blindness. Reduction of melanogenesis may result from failure of normal tyrosinase function caused by its abnormal interaction with other proteins, from defects in its regulatory region, from absence or defect of the structural gene. The series of natural mutations that affect availability of normal tyrosinase function includes mutants of this type. C57BL/6J-Tyrc-2J/Tyrc-2J, available at The Jackson Laboratory, lacks tyrosinase activity as a result of point mutation in the structural region of the gene. MMRRC:000140 may have reduced pigmentation resulting from a temperature sensitivity that affeects the TYROSINASE, which functions more effectively in the cooler parts of the body. MMRRC:000141 seems to have nearly normal pigmentation in the eyes, but their hair pigmentation is a uniform gray. In MMRRC:000139 the eye pigmentation is somewhat reduced, but intense, while the hair is unpigmented. MMRRC:000144 mice are very dark, nearly black. Mutant alleles in MMRRC:000145 and MMRRC:000142 result in chimerism of hair and eye pigmentation that has been attributed to a rearrangement of the DNA 5kb upstream of the tyrosinase locus. One of the genes that regulates the activity of TYROSINASE is MITF. And there are functional interactions between TYROSINASE and TYROSINASE-RELATED PROTEIN within the pigment cell.

Chinchilla mice are eumelanic and very dark, nearly the full intensity of black, but if they are chinchilla and pheomelanic, their pigmentation is a low intensity, nearly white. This difference is also true in most (not all) other mice that are mutant at the albino locus.
Mammalian Phenotype Terms
Allelic Composition: Tyrc-ch/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: C57BL/6 )

Allelic Composition: Tyrc-ch/Tyrc-ch38H (Genetic Background: involves: 101/H * C3H/HeH )

Allelic Composition: Tyrc-42H/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: 101/H * C3H/HeH )

Allelic Composition: Tyrc-43H/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: 101/H * C3H/HeH )

Allelic Composition: Tyrc-112K/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: 101/R1 * C3Hf/R1 * St.2A )

Allelic Composition: Tyrc-40H/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: C3H/HeH )

Allelic Composition: Tyrc-a/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: C3H/HeJ )

  • pigmentation
  • integument
Allelic Composition: Tyrcm1OR/Tyrc-ch (Genetic Background: involves: C3H/Rl )

MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Catechol Oxidase/metabolism
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Hair/enzymology
  • Hair/ultrastructure
  • Kinetics
  • Melanins/biosynthesis
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase/metabolism
  • Mutation
  • Catechol Oxidase/genetics
  • Gene Conversion
  • Genes
  • Intramolecular Oxidoreductases
  • Melanocytes/enzymology
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Mice, Mutant Strains
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase/genetics
  • Species Specificity
Strain Development
These mice were backcrossed onto C57BL/6J by DeWayne Townsend, who sent them to Lamoreux in 1993. They were subsequently maintained by intercrossing and occasional backcrosses onto C57BL/6J.
Suggested Control Mice
  • C57BL/6J
  • The appropriate negative control is C57BL/6J-Tyrc-2J
MMRRC Genetic QC Summary
The MMRRC Centers have developed a genetic QC pipeline using MiniMUGA array genotyping to provide additional information on strain backgrounds for MMRRC congenic and inbred strains. For more information on when data may be available, or to request genotyping for a strain of interest, please contact mmrrc@missouri.edu. Older strains may not have this information.
  • Albinism
  • Development of optic nerve
  • Visual Defects (Blindness)
  • Genetic Controls over Pigmentation of Eyes and Skin
  • Failure of Melanogenesis
  • Neural Crest Development
Donor
Lynn Lamoreux, Ph.D., Texas A&M University
Primary Reference
  • Townsend D, Witkop CJ Jr, Mattson J. Tyrosinase subcellular distribution and kinetic parameters in wild type and C-locus mutant C57BL/6J mice. J Exp Zool. 1981 Apr;216(1):113-9. (Medline PMID: 6793688)
  • Lamoreux ML, Woolley C, Pendergast P. Genetic controls over activities of tyrosinase and dopachrome conversion factor in murine melanocytes. Genetics. 1986 Aug;113(4):967-84. (Medline PMID: 3091449)

Colony and Husbandry Information

Colony Surveillance Program and Current Health Reports

Mice recovered from a cryo-archive will have health surveillance performed on recipient females. Health reports will be provided prior to shipment. If you require additional health status information, please email mmrrc@missouri.edu.

Order Request Information

Limited quantities of breeder mice (recovered litter) are available from a cryoarchive; recovered litter usually available to ship in 3 to 4 months.

Cryopreserved material may be available upon request, please inquire to mmrrc@missouri.edu for more information.

Distribution of this strain requires submission of the MMRRC Conditions of Use (COU). A link to the COU web form will be provided via email after an order has been placed; the form should be completed then or the email forwarded to your institutional official for completion.

Additional charges may apply for any special requests. Shipping costs are in addition to the basic distribution/resuscitation fees. Information on shipping costs and any additional charges will be provided by the supplying MMRRC facility.

Click button to Request this one strain. (Use the MMRRC Catalog Search to request more than one strain.)
MMRRC Item # Description Distribution Fee / Unit (US $)
*Shipping & Handling not included*
Units Notes
000144-MU-EMBRYO Cryo-preserved embryos $1,038.00 / $2,621.00
Non-Profit / For-Profit
Aliquot Approximate quantity2 : 20-40 embryos / aliquot
000144-MU-SPERM Cryo-preserved spermatozoa $437.00 / $817.00
Non-Profit / For-Profit
Aliquot Approximate quantity3
000144-MU-RESUS Litter recovered from cryo-archive $2,016.00 / $4,103.00
Non-Profit / For-Profit
Litter Recovered litter4; additional fees for any special requests.

1 The distribution fee covers the expense of rederiving mice from a live mouse; you will receive the resulting litter. The litter will contain at minimum one mutant carrier; the actual number of animals and the gender and genotype ratios will vary. (Typically, multiple breeder pairs can be established from the recovered litter.) Prior to shipment, the MMRRC will provide information about the animals recovered. If you anticipate or find that you need to request specific genotypes, genders or quantities of mice in excess of what is likely from a resuscitated litter, you may discuss available options and pricing with the supplying MMRRC facility.

2 An aliquot contains a sufficient number of embryos (in one or more vials or straws and based on the transfer success rate of the MMRRC facility) to transfer into one to three recipients. The MMRRC makes no guarantee concerning embryo transfer success experienced in the recipient investigator's laboratory. Neither gender nor genotype ratios are guaranteed.

3 An aliquot is one straw or vial with sufficient sperm to recover at least one litter of mice, as per provided protocols, when performed at the MMRRC facility. The MMRRC makes no guarantee concerning the success of these procedures when performed outside the MMRRC facilities.

4 The distribution fee covers the expense of resuscitating mice from the cryo-archive; you will receive the resulting litter. The litter will contain at minimum one mutant carrier; the actual number of animals and the gender and genotype ratios will vary. (Typically, multiple breeder pairs can be established from the recovered litter.) Prior to shipment, the MMRRC will provide information about the animals recovered. If you anticipate or find that you need to request specific genotypes, genders or quantities of mice in excess of what is likely from a resuscitated litter, you may discuss available options and pricing with the supplying MMRRC facility.

To request material from the MMRRC: Please fill out our on-line request form (accessible from the catalog search results page, or click the Request this Strain button in the fees section). If you have questions or need assistance completing this form, you may call Customer Service at (800) 910-2291 (in USA or Canada) or (530) 757-5710 (international calls). Before you call, please have with you: the MMRRC item number, quantity needed, Bill-to and Ship-to contact information.