Sister-chromatid exchanges in beta-thalassaemic patients under conditions of in vivo and in vitro depletion of folic acid.
In order to investigate the effect of folate depletion, lymphocyte sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) rates were compared among homozygous beta-thalassaemic patients with low folic acid levels, heterozygous beta-thalassaemic patients with normal folate levels and healthy persons with normal haemoglobin, in cultures with both normal and depleted folate conditions. Significantly higher SCE rates were found in homozygous patients in all assays, but the in vitro folate depletion did not induce an increase in SCE frequency in any group.
Silva
A E
AE
Departamento de Biologia, UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.
Manzato
A J
AJ
Varella-Garcia
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism