Delta beta (F)-thalassaemia in Sardinia.
A population survey carried out in southern sardinia on more than 5000 people has shown that delta beta (F)-thalassaemia, with a gene frequency of 0-00088, is a rare trait in this population. We examined the members of three families segregating for both delta beta- and beta(0)-thalassemia and a number of delta beta carriers identified during the screening. The doubly heterozygous children suffer from a mild form of Cooley's disease with non-alpha/alpha biosynthetic ratios within the range of values observed in beta (0)-thalassaemia homozygotes. Three of them have been transfusion dependent for some time. The delta beta carriers, although in many respects showing the usual picture of delta beta-thalassaemia, such as abnormal red cell indices, normal Hb A2, Hb F heterogeneously distributed in the erythrocytes, and low beta/alpha synthetic ratios, have unusually high levels of Hb F (range 10 to 20%) and particularly low glycine content (range 0.02 to 0.14 residues) in the isolated gamma CB3 peptide. These results have led us to the conclusion that the delta beta-thalassaemia found in Sardinia is different from the similar kind of delta beta defect found in Negroes and in other Mediterranean populations, including continental Italians.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005796:Genes; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006443:Hemoglobin A2 / Q000032:analysis; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
D005914:Globins; D006443:Hemoglobin A2; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin