BRAINCAKEThe Albino Trait
Albinism is an inherited condition in which the body makes little or no melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and the iris of the eye. People with albinism have very pale skin, white or very fair hair and pale eyes. They burn easily in sunlight, have a higher risk of skin cancer, and usually have poor eyesight because melanin is needed for normal eye development.
The most common form is caused by a recessive allele of the gene coding for the enzyme tyrosinase. This enzyme catalyses an early step in converting the amino acid tyrosine into melanin. A mutation in the gene gives a non-functional enzyme, so melanin cannot be made.
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