The alpha / beta and alpha 2 / alpha 1-globin mRNA ratios in different forms of alpha-thalassemia

The present study provides information about the alpha / beta and alpha 2 / alpha 1-mRNA ratios in reticulocytes of normal adults and individuals with different alpha-globin gene deficiencies; it found its origin in analytical data of blood samples from a Laotian couple and their newborn baby. The father carried the 4.2 kb deletion on one chromosome and a TAA --> CAA mutation at the terminating codon of the alpha 2 gene (Hb Constant Spring or CS) on the other chromosome. The mother had the 3.7 kb deletion on one chromosome and a TA A --> TAT mutation at the terminating codon of the alpha 2-globin gene (Hb Paksé) of the second chromosome. The baby was a compound heterozygote for the two termination codon mutations. The mRNA data for this family were compared to those for persons with several well-defined alpha-globin gene deficiencies. The results confirm the importance of the alpha 2 alpha 1-mRNA for the synthesis of alpha chains in alpha-thalassemia-2 homozygotes (-alpha/-alpha) and in patients with Hb H disease due to the deletion of three alpha-globin genes (-alpha/--). Furthermore, the MRNA production of the alpha 1-globin gene on the chromosome with the alpha CS mutation (alpha CS alpha) is only one-half of that by the alpha 2 alpha 1-globin gene of a chromosome with a 3.7 or 4.2 kb deletion, explaining the greater severity of, and higher Hb H level in Hb H patients with the alpha CS alpha condition (alpha CS alpha/--) as compared to those with the three gene deletion (-alpha/--). The methodology could be useful as a preliminary screening for the presence of point mutations leading to the functional loss of a single alpha-globin gene, provided common deletional alleles have been excluded.