RRC ID 236
Author Iida A, Inagaki H, Suzuki M, Wakamatsu Y, Hori H, Koga A.
Title The tyrosinase gene of the i(b) albino mutant of the medaka fish carries a transposable element insertion in the promoter region.
Journal Pigment Cell Res
Abstract The i locus of the medaka fish contains the tyrosinase gene whose product is the key enzyme required for melanin biosynthesis. The i(b) allele at this locus, also denoted as i( 5), causes oculocutaneous albinism in homozygous carriers. Its albino phenotype is very weak, characterized mainly by small and varying sized melanophores in juveniles. Cloning and sequencing analyses of the tyrosinase gene for the i (b) allele revealed the presence of a 4.7-kb extra DNA fragment in the 5' untranslated region, this being Tol2, a DNA-based transposable element of the hobo Activator Tam3 (hAT) family which had previously been identified as a cause of another mutant allele i(4). Its insertion point was 85 bp upstream of the main transcription initiation site and 50 bp downstream of the CATGTG motif that has been suggested to be essential for the promoter function of the tyrosinase gene. The transcription level of the tyrosinase gene was decreased in i(b)/i(b) fish, compared with wild-type fish. The insertion is thus a likely cause of the weak albino phenotype. The Tol2 element transposes in a cut-and-paste fashion, and its excision is mostly imprecise, leaving some nucleotides and/or removing excess nucleotides. The i (b) mutant strain can thus be expected to serve as a source from which various other mutations in the promoter region can be derived.
Volume 17(2)
Pages 158-64
Published 2004-4-1
DOI 10.1046/j.1600-0749.2003.00122.x
PII PCR122
PMID 15016305
MeSH Albinism / genetics* Albinism, Oculocutaneous / genetics Alleles Amino Acid Motifs Animals Base Sequence DNA Primers / genetics DNA Transposable Elements* Heterozygote Homozygote Humans Mice Models, Genetic Molecular Sequence Data Monophenol Monooxygenase / genetics Mutation Nucleotides / genetics Oryzias Phenotype Point Mutation Polymerase Chain Reaction Promoter Regions, Genetic* RNA / metabolism Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction Sequence Analysis, DNA Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid Transcription, Genetic
Times Cited 16
WOS Category DERMATOLOGY CELL BIOLOGY
Resource
Medaka ib i (i-1) (MT67) i-4 (MT70)