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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Alpha-globin gene mutation spectrum in patients with microcytic hypochromic anemia from Mazandaran Province, Iran
Seyed Mohammad Bagher Hashemi-Soteh1, Hossein Karami2, Seyed Saeid Mousavi3
1Biochemistry and Genetic Department, Immunogenetic Research Center, Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center, Medical Faculty, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Background:
It is estimated about 7% of the world population is carriers of hemoglobin diseases. Alpha-thalassemia is one of the most common hereditary hemoglobin disorders in the world. This study investigated alpha-globin mutations in potential carriers with hypochromic and microcytic anemia from Mazandaran, in northern Iran.
Methods:
A total of 859 subjects were selected; genomic DNA was extracted and examined for the presence of mutations in the alpha-globin genes.
Results:
Mutation analysis of alpha-globin genes revealed 27 different mutations. Seven variants were seen in 91.45% of all alpha-1 and alpha-2 mutations among patients in this study. The 3.7 kb deletion is the most frequent mutation with a frequency of 49.53%, followed by PolyA2 (15.19%), -4.2 deletion (8.76%), --MED (5.84%), IVSI-5nt deletion (5.49%), Hb constant spring (3.62%), and Cd 19 (-G; 3.04%), respectively. There are also seven new variants which were reported for the first time either in alpha-1 or alpha-2 genes, including codon 9 (C > A; α2), deletion of codon 60 (AAG deletion; α2), duplication of codon 94-100 plus 3 base pairs of intron 2 (IVSII + 3; α1), codon 99 (C > A; α2), codon 108 (A > G; α2), codon 128 (A > T; α2), and codon 129 (T > G; α2), respectively. The MLPA method also revealed three rare and novel deletions in alpha-cluster region with about 30 kilobases long.
Conclusion:
This study showed an efficient identification of α-thalassemia can be achieved using standard hematological indices in our population. The details of these variations will help local genetic services for diagnostic and prenatal diagnosis services.
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