Content of total melanin, eumelanin, and pheomelanin in <i>wild-type</i> and <i>PMEL^−/−</i> mice on a C57BL/6 background (<i>Asip^a/a</i>).

aAbsorbance at 500 nm, a measure of total melanin after Soluene-350 solubilization [34]. Total melanin content was estimated as A500/mg multiplied by a factor of 101. bPyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), a degradation product of eumelanin [33]. Eumelanin content was estimated by multiplying PTCA content by a factor of 25. c4-Amino-3-hydroxyphenylalanine (4-AHP), a degradation product of pheomelanin. Pheomelanin content was estimated by multiplying 4-AHP by a factor of 9 [36].