title: Pigmentation genes: the tyrosinase gene family and the pmel 17 gene family.
abstract: We propose that at least two families of genes regulate the melanin biosynthesis. The first is the tyrosinase gene family, which is comprised of tyrosinase (c locus), gp75 (b locus) and DOPAchrome tautomerase (slt locus). The second is the pmel 17 gene family, which is composed of pmel 17 (putative si locus) and chicken melanosomal matrix protein (MMP) 115. It appears that the tyrosinase gene family regulates melanin synthesis in the proximal steps of the melanin biosynthetic pathway and the pmel 17 gene family might be important at distal steps of the pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002879:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10; D002881:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 12; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; D007535:Isomerases / Q000235:genetics; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; D004247:DNA; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; D007535:Isomerases; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; C042501:dopachrome isomerase