title: Prenatal diagnosis of alpha-thalassemia. Clinical application of molecular hybridization.
abstract: The technic of DNA-DNA hybridization was used for prenatal diagnosis of a pregnancy at risk for homozygous alpha-thalassemia. Fibroblasts were cultured from amniotic fluid, and the number of alpha-globin genes in the DNA was quantified by hybridization with radioactive DNA complementary to alpha-globin mRNA sequences. As compared to control studies of DNA from patients with alpha-thalassemia syndromes and from unaffected subjects, the results indicated that the fetus had alpha-thalassemia-1. The diagnosis was confirmed by umbilical-cord blood studies.
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D002140:California; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D004247:DNA; D005260:Female; D005914:Globins; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005914:Globins; D004247:DNA