ObjectiveIn order to reveal the molecular mechanism of the albino mutant Cricetulus barabensis, the tyrosinase gene of Cricetulus barabensis and the albino mutant Cricetulus barabensis was cloned, sequenced, and comparatively analyzed. MethodsThe Tyrosinase cDNA was amplified from the total RNA of the skin of Cricetulus barabensis and its albino mutant Cricetulus barabensis by reverse transcriptase (RT-PCR). According to the conservative region of tyrosinase gene of mice and rats, three pairs of primers were designed to link three fragments to a long epitope by overlap extension. Then the three fragments were amplified and sequenced and finally spliced into the complete sequence. The mutation site was identified through DNA matching software.ResultsThe tyrosinase genes of Cricetulus barabensis and the albino mutant Cricetulus barabensis were cloned and the mutation site was measured by DNA sequence analysis software. The results showed that they have the same coding region and there is no mutation.ConclusionsThe reason of the albino trait of the albino mutant Cricetulus barabensis is different from that of albino trait known in mice, not by the mutation of tyrosinase gene coding region, and reqires further investigation.