title: Expression of tyrosinase gene in amelanotic mutant mice.
abstract: In order to study the molecular aspects of albinism, we analyzed the expression of tyrosinase gene in some amelanotic mutant mice by Northern blotting using mouse tyrosinase cDNA as a probe. It hybridized with a species of 2.1 kilobase RNA prepared from the skin of wild-type mice and two albino strains in the same quantity. In black-eyed white mouse, however, no RNA transcript encoding tyrosinase was detected. Our results suggest that these albinism is due to a point mutation in the structural region of the tyrosinase gene, not to a deficiency of tyrosinase gene expression and that the black-eyed white mouse has a deficiency in the gene expression possibly related to melanocyte differentiation.
mesh_terms: D000417:Albinism / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005796:Genes; D007118:Immunoassay; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004156:Catechol Oxidase; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase