Xanthism

Xanthi Phonetic python

Normal colored ball python

Xanthism (Gr. "Xanthos" = yellow , adj. Xanthoristic , rarely xanthistic ) describes animals that have a yellow or red color due to a lack of melanin . It is therefore a form of albinism in which the yellow or red color present in xantophores and caused by carotenes and pteridines remains unaffected, while the black or brown color of melanins caused by melanophores is absent.

Since carotenes and pteridines do not play a role in the development of colors in mammals, xanthism in this sense is not possible in them. Only fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds can develop xanthism.

In humans, forms of incomplete albinism that are now called ROCA (red oculocutaneous albinism) or oculocutaneous albinism type 3 (OCA 3) were also referred to as xanthism.

Web links

Commons : Examples of Xanthistic Animals - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Bruce J. Turner, Robert K. Liu: Xanthic Variants in a Natural Population of the Salt Creek Pupfish, Cyprinodon salinus. In: The Southwestern Naturalist. Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct. 15, 1977), pp. 538-540.
↑ J. Odenthal, K. Rossnagel, P. Haffter, RN Kelsh, E. Vogelsang, M. Brand, FJ van Eeden, M. Furutani-Seiki, M. Granato, M. Hammerschmidt, CP Heisenberg, YJ Jiang, DA Kane , MC Mullins, C. Nusslein-Volhard: Mutations affecting xanthophore pigmentation in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. In: Development. Vol 123, Issue 1, C 1996, pp 391-398.
↑ SK Frost-Mason, KA Mason: What insights into vertebrate pigmentation has the axolotl model system provided? In: Int J Dev Biol. 1996 Aug; 40 (4), pp. 685-693. PMID 8877441
↑ Tony Gamble , Jodi L. Aherns, Virginia Card: Tyrosinase Activity in the Skin of Three Strains of Albino Gecko (Eublepharis macularius). In: Gekko. 5, pp. 39-44. (PDF; 767 kB)
↑ Krista Siebel: Analysis of genetic variants of loci for the coat color and their relationship to the color phenotype and to quantitative performance characteristics in pigs. Dissertation . Institute for Livestock Sciences at the Humboldt University of Berlin, July 2001, chapter 2 (literature review)
↑ P. Manga, JGR Kromberg, N. F Box, RA Sturm, Jenkins, M. Ramsay: Rufous Oculocutaneous Albinism in Southern African Blacks Is Caused by Mutations in the TYRPI Gene. In: Am. J. Hum. Genet. 1997; 61, pp. 1095-1101. PMC 1716031 (free full text)

[turner-1] Bruce J. Turner, Robert K. Liu: Xanthic Variants in a Natural Population of the Salt Creek Pupfish, Cyprinodon salinus. In: The Southwestern Naturalist. Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct. 15, 1977), pp. 538-540.

[xantophore-2] J. Odenthal, K. Rossnagel, P. Haffter, RN Kelsh, E. Vogelsang, M. Brand, FJ van Eeden, M. Furutani-Seiki, M. Granato, M. Hammerschmidt, CP Heisenberg, YJ Jiang, DA Kane , MC Mullins, C. Nusslein-Volhard: Mutations affecting xanthophore pigmentation in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. In: Development. Vol 123, Issue 1, C 1996, pp 391-398.

[Frost-Mason-3] SK Frost-Mason, KA Mason: What insights into vertebrate pigmentation has the axolotl model system provided? In: Int J Dev Biol. 1996 Aug; 40 (4), pp. 685-693. PMID 8877441

[gamble-4] Tony Gamble , Jodi L. Aherns, Virginia Card: Tyrosinase Activity in the Skin of Three Strains of Albino Gecko (Eublepharis macularius). In: Gekko. 5, pp. 39-44. (PDF; 767 kB)

[5] Krista Siebel: Analysis of genetic variants of loci for the coat color and their relationship to the color phenotype and to quantitative performance characteristics in pigs. Dissertation . Institute for Livestock Sciences at the Humboldt University of Berlin, July 2001, chapter 2 (literature review)

[Manga-6] P. Manga, JGR Kromberg, N. F Box, RA Sturm, Jenkins, M. Ramsay: Rufous Oculocutaneous Albinism in Southern African Blacks Is Caused by Mutations in the TYRPI Gene. In: Am. J. Hum. Genet. 1997; 61, pp. 1095-1101. PMC 1716031 (free full text)