title: The mouse pink-eyed dilution allele of the P-gene greatly inhibits eumelanin but not pheomelanin synthesis.
abstract: The mouse pink-eyed dilution (p) locus is known to control eumelanin synthesis, melanosome morphology, and tyrosinase activity in melanocytes. However, it has not been fully determined whether the mutant allele, p affects pheomelanin synthesis. Effects of the p allele on eumelanin and phemelanin synthesis were investigated by chemical analysis of dorsal hairs of 5-week-old mice obtained from the F(2) generations (black, pink-eyed black, recessive yellow, pink-eyed recessive yellow, agouti, and pink-eyed agouti) between C57BL/10JHir (B10)-congenic pink-eyed black mice (B10-p/p) and recessive yellow (B10-Mc1r(e)/Mc1r(e)) or agouti (B10-A/A) mice. The eumelanin content was dramatically (>20-fold) decreased in pink-eyed black and pink-eyed agouti mice, whereas the pheomelanin content did not decrease in pink-eyed black, pink-eyed recessive yellow, or pink-eyed agouti mice compared to the corresponding P/- mice. These results suggest that the pink-eyed dilution allele greatly inhibits eumelanin synthesis, but not pheomelanin synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Effect Mechanisms Research Group, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, Japan. thirobe@nirs.go.jp
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirobe
authors.forename: Shosuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakamatsu
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D020297:Mice, Congenic; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000378:metabolism; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008543:Melanins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D013844:Thiazoles; C018362:pheomelanin; C041877:eumelanin; C076239:P protein, mouse; C101197:2-n-propylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid; D014443:Tyrosine; C071227:4-amino-3-hydroxyphenylalanine