Strain Detail Sheet

Strain Name:
B6.Cg-Tyrc-m/Mmmh
Stock Number:
000145-MU
Citation ID:
RRID:MMRRC_000145-MU
Major Collection:
Mammalian Pigmentation

Strain Information

Gene Details

Tyrc-m
Name: tyrosinase; chinchilla mottled
Synonyms: c22H, chinchilla mottled, cm
Type: Allele
Species: Mus musculus (mouse)
Chromosome: 7
Alteration at locus: Radiation Induced
Tyr
Name: tyrosinase
Synonyms: skc35, Oca1
Type: Gene
Species: Mouse
Chromosome: 7
Alteration at locus: Radiation Induced
NCBI: 22173
Homologene: 30969
Genome Browser [Click image to go to Jbrowse]



Additional Resources
IMPC
Google
Entrez
PubMed
IMSR
Gene Ontology
BioGPS
Gene Cloud
IGTC
Mouse Phenome DB
Mouse Mine
KOMP Phenotyping
Monarch
GeneCards
ClinGen
Genetic Alterations
Induced Mutation / Radiation-induced
Genotype Determination

Strain Description

Phenotype
The coat color in homozygous mice is darker than MMRRC:000142 and is mottled with a beige coloration. The eyes appear black but microscopically the pigmentation is also mottled in the iris. These mice tend to become obese at a young age.

Characteristics of the Locus: 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; Acromelanic (MMRRC:000140) may have a similar defect. Extreme dilution (MMRRC:000141) seems to have nearly normal pigmentation in the eyes, but their hair pigmentation is a uniform gray. In dark-eyed-albino (MMRRC:000139) the eye pigmentation is somewhat reduced, but intense, while the hair is unpigmented. Chinchilla mice(MMRRC:000144) are very dark, nearly black. Two of the mutant alleles, chinchilla mottled (MMRRC:000145) and extreme dilution mottled (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.
Mammalian Phenotype Terms
Allelic Composition: Tyrc-m/Tyrc-m (Genetic Background: involves: 101/H * C3H/HeH )
MeSH Terms
  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Chromatin/physiology
  • Clone Cells
  • Color
  • Deoxyribonuclease I
  • Gene Rearrangement
  • Genes/physiology
  • Homozygote
  • Melanocytes/physiology
  • Mice
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase/genetics
  • Mosaicism
  • Pigments, Biological/genetics
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Blotting, Northern
  • Gene Expression/genetics
  • Humans
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Neural Crest/cytology
  • Ocular Physiological Phenomena
  • Phenotype
  • Pigmentation/genetics
Strain Development
A radiation induced mutant made at Harwell MRC radiobiology unit; the founder male was a cross between a C3H and 101 mouse. The founder males were mated to outbred stock females and the mutations were maintained by mating to outbred mice. These were backcrossed for at least 20 generations then where bred to homozygosity and maintained with sib mating.
Suggested Control Mice
  • C57BL/6

MMRRC Genetic QC

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.

Research Applications

  • Pigmentation
  • Developmental Biology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Chimerism
  • molecular biology of gene regulation
  • tyrosinase

Strain Origin

Donor
Dr. Lynn Lamoreux, Texas A&M University
Primary Reference
  • Mouse News Letter, February 1980; Vol. 62, Pg. 52
  • Porter S. Larue L. Mintz B. Mosaicism of tyrosinase-locus transcription and chromatin structure in dark vs. light melanocyte clones of homozygous chinchilla-mottled mice. Developmental Genetics. 1991;12(6):393-402.(Medline PMID: 1822431)
  • Porter SD, Meyer CJ. A distal tyrosinase upstream element stimulates gene expression in neural-crest-derived melanocytes of transgenic mice: position-independent and mosaic expression. Development. 1994 Aug;120(8):2103-11. (Medline PMID: 7925014)

Colony and Husbandry Information

Special Considerations

These mice have been fed using a 9% breeder chow however obesity has been noted in this line and switching to a lower percent fat in the diet might improve overall breeding.  This mouse strain also has a low incidence of incisor malocclusion and it is necessary to trim incisor teeth in affected individuals and feed a soft or powdered diet.

Health Status Report

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.

Appearance

Coat Color
mottled gray

Breeding

MMRRC Breeding System
Sib mating
Breeding Scheme(s)
  • Homozygous female x Homozygous male
Generation
N20+
Overall Breeding Performance
Okay but decreased compared to C57BL/6. Some breeding trios never produce pups so more breeder trios are necessary than the usual number used to maintain a breeding colony of C57BL/6 mice.

Reproductive Statistics

Average litter size
6
Recommended wean age
4 weeks

Order Request Information

Availability Level

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.

Conditions of Distribution

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.

Fees

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
000145-MU-SPERM Cryo-preserved spermatozoa $437.00 / $817.00
Non-Profit / For-Profit		 Aliquot Approximate quantity3
000145-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.
Cryopreserved material may be available upon request, please inquire to mmrrc@missouri.edu for more information.

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.