ABSTRACT
The lustrous mutation arose spontaneously at Jackson Laboratory in early 1960s on DBA/2 strain. Lustrous is an autosomal recessive mutation that has been mapped to mouse Chromosome 11. The arrangement of medullary cells and thickness of the shaft varies. The variability in shaft thickness was thought to be due to a slight twisting and indentation of the shaft. Pigmentation was reduced in the proximal ends of hair shafts or completely missing in small numbers. Studies on the nature of the medullary cells revealed that the medullary space was filled with fatty material that stained positively with Herxheimer's solution. The lustrous mutation has gross similarities to the satin (sa) mutation in that both mutations have a shiny appearance to their coat, the shaft contains little air, and the optical characteristics of the shaft change due to its lack of air. The hair shafts of satin mice are practically solid, while those of lustrous have a medulla filled with a fatty fluid.
