Posted by:
DMong
at Thu Jun 24 16:56:35 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by DMong ]
Yeah, from what I can see in both the pics, they look to be more of a T-positive (lavender) mutation. And the lilac/lavenderish purple hue seems to indicate this too as opposed to simply being a "reduction" in melanin because of the amino acid tyrosinase still being present within the pigment cell(melanocyte).
I have to wonder if when the snakes are held up to the right lighting, that they aren't actually a very, very deep ruby red instead of being pitch black, but different gene's can do strange things regardless of what we are all used to seeing though, that is certain. The eyes "seem" to be not quite BLACK to me in the pics, but this can just be from the photos though.
I added this below for the OP and others to check out, so they can get a good idea of the way this gene mutation can operate. Many times pigment cells(chromatophores) don't work properly at all, or just a little, , or anything in between really, depending on many different factors, so a very similar mutation can be expressed in very different looking ways.
Melanophores
These cells synthesize and contain black and brown pigmentation known as melanin. There are two kinds of melanophores present, dermal and epidermal. Dermal melanophores are located in the upper dermis, while epidermal melanophores are located in the lower epidermis skin layers.
The process of creating melanin is fairly simple. Tyrosine, which is a type of amino acid, is converted into dopa, and then into dopaquinone in the presence of tyrosinase, which is synthesized by the melanophores. Dopaquinone is later modified into melanin and deposited in the appropriate melanophores. This is the root of the terms 'Tyrosinase-positive (T+)' and 'Tyrosinase negative (T-)' albinos.
In T- albinos, tyrosinase is not produced by the melanophores and no melanin is ever created in the melanophores. The result is an animal possessing absolutely no black or dark brown pigment whatsoever.
In the T+ form of albino, tyrosinase is produced but is blocked from gaining access into the melanophores. Simply put, all the parts are there - they just can't mix. However, in most specimens there is a certain amount of 'mixing' that occurs by cells disrupting or possibly by osmotic transfer. The exact method is unclear, and may vary. What is clear is that T+ albinos are generally darker than their counterparts, often containing traces of melanin deposits that result in a slightly darker look than the T- albinos of the same specie. Often red coloration is particularly prominent and many times the eyes are dramatically darker than expected.
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[ Hide Replies ]
- Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - Godfrey, Wed Jun 23 18:28:40 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - monklet, Wed Jun 23 18:47:55 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - a153fish, Wed Jun 23 18:53:30 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - Godfrey, Wed Jun 23 19:27:23 2010
- AWESOME!!!!!!! - DMong, Wed Jun 23 20:36:31 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - hermanbronsgeest, Thu Jun 24 02:23:19 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - Kevin Saunders, Thu Jun 24 12:07:25 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - JYohe, Thu Jun 24 15:25:11 2010
 RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - DMong, Thu Jun 24 16:56:35 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - donv, Fri Jun 25 11:25:11 2010
- RE: Greenish Rat Snake Morph Hatchlings - AlexNevgloski, Fri Oct 1 17:57:42 2010
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