Posted by:
rwoodyer
at Tue Apr 11 20:48:39 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by rwoodyer ]
Unfortunately, genetics doesn't work like that. An albino lacks tyrosinase activity. That is an irreplacable step in the biosynthesis of melanin. Most likely, IMG snakes come from a bad signalling pathway in the production of melanin (such that production doesn't know when to stop and start, so it is just on all the time, building more and more melanin as the snake gets older). However, since the melanin production pathway would be blocked in albinos at a critical step, it doesn't matter how fast or how long the rest of the pathway is going, no melanin is going to be produced, there is not going to be a change in the snakes appearance.
Think of it like an assembly line for a car. Albinos can be likened to cars without frames, because the frame welding technicians are on strike. IMG can be likened to management pushing the auto workers to make as many car as fast as possible, reguardless of the demand for the cars. If you mix the frame welding technician's strike with the crazy managment, you are only going to get a whole crap load of random car parts and no frame to put them on. In terms of melanin, that means no pigment production and thus a normal looking albino that may or may not have serious health issues from the buildup of the other compounds (car parts).
This only holds true if IMGs are really the result of increasing melanin, if "IMG" means something else to you, then the results might be different.
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when life hands you lemons, make super lemons, bumblebees, etc...
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genetics, not electronics - rwoodyer, Tue Apr 11 20:48:39 2006