Biochem of Albino Defects

An old thread on here (see http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23560&page=1&pp=10&highlight=total+albino+confusion)

titled "Total Albino confusion" discussed how no one has ever tested carmel albinos or regular albinos for tryosinase activity.

It is hypothesized however that regular albinos are Tyrosinase negative (T-) while carmel albinos are Tryosinase Positive (T+)



If carmels are T+, what is, in fact, albino about carmel albinos?

Has anyone actually tested them to verify if that they dont produce melanin?

What leads people to believe that they dont produce melanin? Couldnt their yellowish color be the result of more xanthopores or increased yellow pterdine synthesis?

This is why I prefer the term xanthic to carmel albino.

Whoa! What was that???

Oh yeah, something just flew way over my head.

Yeah, like a lead ballon.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Whoa! What was that???

Oh yeah, something just flew way over my head.

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Albinos by defination dont produce melanin.

Melanin Sythesis is a multi-step metabolic pathway...tryosinase is the enzyme at the beginning of the pathway.

If the other enzymes are defective or regulated improperly melanin sythesis could also be affected....


Xanthophores are one of the three pigment cells in snake skin (we only have one...melanocytes)

The other two in snakes are melanophores and iridophores....see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatophore

Pteridine are pigments in xanthophores..they can be yellow or red.

i've got a 101 understanding of how it works. You are talking 300 level when you get into the chemistry behind it.

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

Albinos by defination dont produce melanin.

Melanin Sythesis is a multi-step metabolic pathway...tryosinase is the enzyme at the beginning of the pathway.

If the other enzymes are defective or regulated improperly melanin sythesis could also be affected....


Xanthophores are one of the three pigment cells in snake skin (we only have one...melanocytes)

The other two in snakes are melanophores and iridophores....see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatophore

Pteridine are pigments in xanthophores..they can be yellow or red.

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Sounds like a typical conversation you over hear between breeders in Daytona at the bar in the Mark on Saturday night. ;)

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Sounds like a typical conversation you over hear between breeders in Daytona at the bar in the Mark on Saturday night. ;)

-adam

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really? or are you just pulling my leg?

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

i've got a 101 understanding of how it works. You are talking 300 level when you get into the chemistry behind it.

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Here's most of the pathway....

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...nsynthesis.gif


I'd say what about organic chemistry? For those of you who like to stimulate your musical intelligence (not much here lol) See the Organic Chemistry song at

http://faculty.washington.edu/crowth...gs/music.shtml

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

If carmels are T+, what is, in fact, albino about carmel albinos?

Has anyone actually tested them to verify if that they dont produce melanin?

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From what I have read... it's not that they don't PRODUCE melanin... it's that they don't posses the ability to synthesize it.... so it just kinda "runs" through it instead of being able to "clump" up..

DISCLAIMER: The above comments don't EVEN sound cool enough to be involved in threads that start off sounding so smart... But since Brad and Adam dumbed it up.... lol :)

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Originally Posted by ddbjdealer

From what I have read... it's not that they don't PRODUCE melanin... it's that they don't posses the ability to synthesize it.... so it just kinda "runs" through it instead of being able to "clump" up..

DISCLAIMER: The above comments don't EVEN sound cool enough to be involved in threads that start off sounding so smart... But since Brad and Adam dumbed it up.... lol :)

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I think I know what you mean.....melanin is molecule that exists in long chains...so they cant form the chains?

Still I would say that production and synthesis of functional melanin is the same thing.

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Originally Posted by ddbjdealer

But since Brad and Adam dumbed it up.... lol :)

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That's how I roll. :cool:

-adam

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I'd say what about organic chemistry?

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My girlfriend took that last semester...she asked me to help her study...I've never felt more dumbfounded in my whole life.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

My girlfriend took that last semester...she asked me to help her study...I've never felt more dumbfounded in my whole life.

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When my wife was in college, I used to help her study all of her medical stuff......I was more than dumbfounded.....I could not even say the majority of the terms......BUT my wife got great grades ;)

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Sounds like a typical conversation you over hear between breeders in Daytona at the bar in the Mark on Saturday night. ;)

-adam

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I am going to say that said breeders might not have had enough alcohol at that point. :D

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

My girlfriend took that last semester...she asked me to help her study...I've never felt more dumbfounded in my whole life.

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Its really not that complicated...Actually you really dont even need to know any organic chem.....sorry if I confused you. You really dont need to know anything about organic chem rings

Metabolic Pathways are in many way like factory assembly lines......each one of those arrows need a worker (an enzyme) to aid in putting the final product (functional melanin) together.

if anyone of those steps has a problem then functional melanin may not result or not enough melanin may be produced.

That's what T- albino are.....they have a problem somewhere downstream the factory assembly line. Tyrosinase is doing its job but someone else isnt!

However, I believe we have no idea if carmel albinos are actually T - its just a hypothesis....that's why I think the name carmel albino could be a complete misnomer. But hey that's how names in science often get confusing!

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

However, I believe we have no idea if carmel albinos are actually T - its just a hypothesis....that's why I think the name carmel albino could be a complete misnomer. But hey that's how names in science often get confusing!

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Did you mean T Positive? Also, is there a test that can prove one way or another if the melanin is being synthesized. I'm not sure if it would matter much, but it would eliminate the conjecture.

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Originally Posted by xdeus

Did you mean T Positive? Also, is there a test that can prove one way or another if the melanin is being synthesized. I'm not sure if it would matter much, but it would eliminate the conjecture.

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Yes darn it...I need to proofread myself better...thanks for pointing out my mistake.

To clarify we have no idea on the tryosinase activity of carmel albinos.....they could be + or -...people speculate they are +

As far as a test for melanin there is probably one based on absorbance spectrometry or immunology......could make a good science project for someone.....

Mike

ACK!! Carbon chains!! Now I will have nightmares for days!! :O