A new haemoglobin variant: haemoglobin Anantharaj alpha 11 (A9) lysine replaced by glutamic acid

Four heterozygotes for a fast alpha-chain variant in a Thai family were detected on starch gel electrophoresis during a survey study on iron deficiency anaemia in a rural area not far from Bangkok. They were healthy and had normal haematological profiles except for the presence of around 44% abnormal pigment, quantitated by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. The structural characterization of the variant by globin chain separation, peptide mapping, and amino acid analyses of the abnormal peptides indicated that lysine residue 11 (A9) of alpha-chain was replaced by glutamic acid. This mutation has not been previously described and it is proposed that it be called Haemoglobin Anantharaj.