title: Polymorphism of foetal haemoglobin in the Sardinian beta +-thalassaemia.
abstract: 12 thalassaemic patients from Northern Sardinia showing the beta + phenotype were examined by isoelectric focusing and high-performance liquid chromatography techniques for the determination of the variant A gamma T globin chain of the foetal haemoglobin. Two patients (16.7%) were homozygotes for the A gamma T gene variant, 2 (16.7%) were heterozygotes and 8 (66.7%) were homozygotes for the normal A gamma I allele. The A gamma T gene frequency was 0.183, much lower than the observed 0.823 in beta zero homozygosity. These data suggest the presence of at least 2 beta +-thalassaemic chromosomes in Sardinians, one associated with the variant A gamma T allele and one associated with the normal A gamma I. The latter is prevalent among adult patients showing the intermediate form of the thalassaemic disease, which is not transfusion-dependent.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin / Q000235:genetics*; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics*; D006441:Hemoglobin A / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005914:Globins; D006441:Hemoglobin A; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin