T- Albino, T+ Albino
- Thread starter Halley
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Golden Gate Geckos
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paulh
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T+ and T- stand for tyrosinase positive and tyrosinase negative albino. The primary function is to sound scientific. Though the names actually mean something in corn snakes, black rat snakes, and a couple of other colubrid snakes.
If the animal lacks melanin (black/brown pigment), then it is either T+ or T- albino. Tyrosinase catalyses the first two steps in the synthesis of melanin. Tyrosinase negative albinos are albinos because they lack tyrosinase. T+ albinos have tyrosinase and are albinos for some other biochemical reason. Only a tyrosinase test will tell which is which for sure. Nobody has done a tyrosinase test on any of the albino boas and pythons. As far as I know, nobdy has done a tyrosinase test on any of the albino leopard geckos, either. So there is no way to tell which is which. In my opinion it doesn't particularly matter. Standard genetics practice is to give a mutant gene a unique, reasonably descriptive name and let the biochemists figure out what the gene actually does later.
In boa constrictors, there are several mutant genes that are lumped under "Tyrosinase positive albino". These have less than normal melanin for a variety of unknown causes. Eventually they will have to be given unique names, but nobody seems to want to do it so far.
If the animal lacks melanin (black/brown pigment), then it is either T+ or T- albino. Tyrosinase catalyses the first two steps in the synthesis of melanin. Tyrosinase negative albinos are albinos because they lack tyrosinase. T+ albinos have tyrosinase and are albinos for some other biochemical reason. Only a tyrosinase test will tell which is which for sure. Nobody has done a tyrosinase test on any of the albino boas and pythons. As far as I know, nobdy has done a tyrosinase test on any of the albino leopard geckos, either. So there is no way to tell which is which. In my opinion it doesn't particularly matter. Standard genetics practice is to give a mutant gene a unique, reasonably descriptive name and let the biochemists figure out what the gene actually does later.
In boa constrictors, there are several mutant genes that are lumped under "Tyrosinase positive albino". These have less than normal melanin for a variety of unknown causes. Eventually they will have to be given unique names, but nobody seems to want to do it so far.
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