Strain Detail Sheet

Phenotype:
Tyr^c-a is fully recessive to wild type and completely dominant to Tyr^c. Tyr^c/Tyr^c-a heterozygotes have a slightly off-white coat color, dark eyes, and slightly sooty ears and tail.

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-Tyr^c-2J/Tyr^c-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:(provided by MGI)      Extend all MPTs
      assigned by genotype

The following phenotype information may relate to one or more alleles on a genetic background differing from this MMRRC strain.

Tyr^c-a/Tyr^c-a

        C3H/HeJ

• pigmentation phenotype
  • abnormal coat/hair pigmentation (MGI Ref ID J:14994)
    • young and adult have an off-white coat color and eyes, ears, tail and anal regions are pigmented
    • in the albino series, coat appearance is between chinchilla and extreme dilution
• integument phenotype
  • abnormal coat/hair pigmentation (MGI Ref ID J:14994)
    • young and adult have an off-white coat color and eyes, ears, tail and anal regions are pigmented
    • in the albino series, coat appearance is between chinchilla and extreme dilution

Tyr^c-a/Tyr^c-a

        C3H/HeJ-Tyr<c-a>/J

• homeostasis/metabolism phenotype
  • homeostasis/metabolism phenotype (MGI Ref ID J:29151)
    • no aberrant bleeding time after tail vein nick

Founder genetic background: Spontaneous mutation arose on C3H/HeJ

Strain genetic background: C57BL/6J

Strain Development:
Mutant backcrossed to C57BL/6J

Donor: Lynn Lamoreux, Ph.D., Texas A & M University

Primary Reference:

J:14994, Sweet HO, Acromelanic (c), Mouse News Lett 1987;78():56 (Medline PMID: Not Available)

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.) Request this Strain
MMRRC Item # Description	Distribution Fee/unit (US $)	Units	Notes
000140-MU-RESUS Litter recovered from cryo-archive	$2,022.00 Non-Profit $4,109.00 For-Profit	Litter	Recovered litter1; additional fees for any special requests.
000140-MU-SPERM Cryo-preserved spermatozoa	$437.00 Non-Profit $817.00 For-Profit	Aliquot	Approximate quantity.2

¹ 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 breedable 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 sufficient material (volume and concentration) for at least two IVF or several artificial inseminations (based on our procedures). The MMRRC makes no guarantee concerning success of these procedures when performed outside the MMRRC facilities.

³ An aliquot contains a sufficient number of embryos (in one or more vials and based on the transfer success rate of the MMRRC facility) to transfer to at least two recipients. The MMRRC makes no guarantee concerning embryo transfer success experienced in the recipient investigator's laboratory. Neither gender nor genotype ratios are guaranteed.