What the result when a gene mutation occurs that interferes with melanin production?

Question

What the result when a gene mutation occurs that interferes with melanin production?

Answer 1

The easy answer:  Albinism.

Melanin is a few different types of pigments in the skin, hair, and eyes that causes people to have different skin, hair, and eye color.  No melanin means no color.

There are a few types, so it's possible for one type to be screwed up and not the other kinds.  In the most general way, there are brown pigments and black pigments and red pigments and green pigments, depending on where you're looking.  Different amounts of each type produce the wide variety of colors that you see..  An error in the brown pigments would make someone more red (for example, red hair).

There is also a type of melanin found in the brain, and the disappearance of it is associated with some neurodegenerative conditions.  It isn't sure if it's actually a necessary part of the brain, or just a byproduct of normal healthy functioning, however.

To make this more complex, melanin is present in other organisms, too, and has different purposes in some of them.  For some, it works to protect against harmful radiation.  For others, it's involved in the immune system.  For others, melanin serves to protect them against immune systems of other creatures.

Answer 2

white skinny ones evolve.