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Availability & Fees Order this Strain
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.
Characteristics of the Alleles/Stocks:
Albino-locus mutations occur frequently, and many deletions have been identified and studied, primarily because of their value for mapping that region of chromosome 7 and the study of included gene loci encoding various other enzymes. Four papers authored by Lee Russell discuss many of these that occurred at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The specific deletions selected for inclusion in the pigmentation colony were selected because the mouse heterozygous for these is deleted at the albino locus but not at the other nearby loci. In addition, MMRRC:009965, a homozygous lethal of newborn mice, has been used to study defects of glucocorticoid (Goldfield et al., 1983) and is currently in use to study optic development. MMRRC:009964 is an early postimplantion homozygous lethal that deletes the albino locus plus other loci adjacent to the albino locus, but on its opposite end. Lewis et al (1976) used mice homozygous for this deletion to study early implantation. As stated, mice heterozygous for the two overlapping deletions complement the various lethal defects and are healthy, but they do lack pigment and therefore exhibit abnormal development of the optic nerve.
Colony Surveillance Program and Current Health Reports
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.
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.