title: Fortuitous description of hemoglobin Hope in a high-level Tunisian athlete: molecular diagnosis and origin.
abstract: In this study we report the fortuitous description of hemoglobin (Hb) Hope in a Tunisian athlete. This Hb is one of hemoglobin variants that show a lower stability and oxygen affinity that is beneficial to tissue oxygen delivery. Hb Hope was isolated by automated high performance liquid chromatography and was unequivocally found to be Hb Hope using DNA-based methods: polymerase chain reaction, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, direct DNA sequencing. Restriction haplotype showed that this Hb was supported by the Mediterranean haplotype I. Hb Hope was identified at first in a black African-American family and later in several other black and non black ethnic groups. All these descriptions raise the question of the Hb Hope origin. Recently, Hb Hope was reported in Thai in association with the same Mediterranean haplotype I. This favors that Tunisian and Thai Hb Hope would share a common Mediterranean origin, thus suggesting the possibility of a Mediterranean gene flow. On another hand, the observation of Hb Hope in a high level athlete would suggest a selection pressure of this Hb variant due to higher physical aptitude.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Laboratory, Children's Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. amina.bibi@rns.tn
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bibi
authors.forename: Imed
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Touhemi
authors.forename: Chaima
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sahli
authors.forename: Hajer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Siala
authors.forename: Zakia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bartagi
authors.forename: Donia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koubaa
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le Gallais
authors.forename: Slaheddine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fattoum
authors.forename: Taieb
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Messaoud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D040582:Inheritance Patterns / Q000502:physiology; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal; C038623:hemoglobin Hope