Pmel 17 cDNA clones, isolated from wild-type and si/si murine melanocytes, were sequenced and compared. A single nucleotide (A) insertion was found in the putative cytoplasmic tail of the si/si Pmel 17 cDNA clone. This insertion is predicted to alter the last 24 amino acids at the C-terminus and to extend the Pmel 17 protein by 12 residues. The mutation was confirmed by the sequence of the PCR-amplified genomic region including the mutation site. Silver Pmel 17 was not recognized by antibodies directed toward the C-terminal amino acids of wild-type Pmel 17, indicating a defect in this region. These results indicate that silver Pmel 17 protein has a major defect at the carboxyl terminus.