The Coat Colors of Mice. A Model for Mammalian Gene Action and Interaction

THE COAT COLORS OF MICE. A MODEL FOR MAMMALIAN GENE ACTION AND INTERACTION. By Willys K. Silvers. New York, Springer-Verlag, 1979. 379 pp. $29.80. This detailed monograph on pigmentation in mice is of value in drawing together the data and conclusions of a large number of studies over a period of many years. Apart from their intrinsic beauty, the coat colors of mice have played an important role in the elucidation of many fundamental genetic and developmental problems. More recently they have been sought as analogs for a variety of human genetic defects. Silvers has performed an invaluable service in compiling and synthesizing a vast amount of material, including his own distinguished contributions to the subject, which will be very useful to researchers in the field and makes for good browsing among non-specialists. From being valued only by mouse fanciers and breeders, coat color mutations came into prominence as genetic tools at the beginning of this century. Among the pioneers was J. B.S. Haldane who first demonstrated the existence of gene linkage in mammals by his studies of non-random segregation at the albino and pink-eye loci. Subsequently many other mutations have been studied, and, with the rise of biochemical genetics, efforts have been made to elucidate the fundamental biochemical basis for various coat colors. This book provides a balanced coverage of the classical descriptive studies and of the subsequent attempts at molecular understanding. To a practising physician, taking color photographs of mice (of which there are many in the book) may seem a trivial pastime, but its very real connections with human health are becoming increasingly apparent. Silvers discusses at length the beige (bg) mutation in mice which has proved to be a valuable model for the ChediakHigashi syndrome. In both there are the same abnormalities of pigmentation and lysosome function. Indeed, one of the fascinations of coat color genetics is that so many unexpected connections reveal themselves and suggest fresh avenues for research. Why, for example, do genetic defects in pigmentation so often also affect fertility and hematopoesis? The author concentrates almost entirely on the problems of pigmentation but is at pains to point out the related effects of the mutations he is describing. On laying down the book one is left with the strong impression that far more is known about coat colors by way of description than by way of explanation, and that the study of pigmentation will be rewarding aesthetically, scientifically, and in the long run medically.