Alpha globin gene analysis in a Sardinian family with interacting alpha and beta thalassaemia genes

This paper reports the results of alpha globin gene analysis in a Sardinian family with interacting alpha and beta thalassaemia genes. The propositus, who was identified in a newborn survey as he had 26.0% Hb Bart's and 74.0% Hb F, successively developed the clinical and haematological picture of a transfusion-dependent thalassaemia major. According to the haemoglobin pattern, restriction endonuclease analysis of the DNA from this patient showed the deletion of three of the four alpha-globin structural genes. Thus beta 0-thalassaemia homozygotes with the delection of three alpha-structural genes seem to have a severe clinical phenotype similar to that of patients with a full complement of four alpha-globin structural genes.