Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0039730 (thalassemia)
10,305 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hemoglobin Crete, beta129 (h7)ala leads to pro, is a new mutant hemoglobin (Hb) with high oxygen affinity that was discovered in a Greek family in various combinations with beta- and deltabeta-thalassemia. The propositus, who presented an unusual clinical picture of an "overcompensated" hemolytic state, with erythrocytosis, splenomegaly, abnormal red cell morphology, and marked erythroid hyperplasia, appeared doubly heterozygous for Hb Crete and deltabeta-thalassemia. His red cells contained 67% Hb Crete and 30% Hb F, and the combination of these two hemoglobins resulted in a blood P50O2 of 11.2 mm Hg. A brother with Hb Crete trait (38% Hb Crete, 56% Hb A, blood P50O2 23.0 mm Hg) did not have significant erythrocytosis. Purified Hb Crete was heat-unstable and exhibited a high oxygen affinity, and a normal Bohr effect. We postulate that the beta 129 proline substitution disrupts the H helix, perturbing nearby residues involved in alpha 1 beta 1 contact sites of the Hb tetramer.
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PMID:Hemoglobin Crete (beta 129 ala leads to pro): a new high-affinity variant interacting with beta o -and delta beta o -thalassemia. 3 84

This study describes a patient with a thalassemia intermedia-like phenotype in whom beta-globin gene sequencing detected a novel abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) due to a T-C substitution at codon 114 of the beta-globin gene arising as a de novo mutation. The abnormal variant was designated Hb Brescia after the place of birth of the propositus. Normal sequences were detected at the in trans beta-globin locus. In addition, alpha-globin gene analysis detected a triple alpha-globin locus which was inherited from the father. The T-C change at position 114 of the beta-globin gene results in a leucine to proline substitution (Leu-Pro) in the G-helix. The resulting Hb tetramer is highly unstable and precipitates forming inclusion bodies in the peripheral red blood cells. Moreover, the Leu-Pro substitution interferes negatively with the four alpha 1 beta 1 contact points of the G-helix most likely adversely affecting the alpha beta dimer formation. The very severe phenotype presented by our patient is unusual in a heterozygote for an unstable Hb variant and may be explained by the coinheritance of the triple alpha-globin locus.
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PMID:A novel beta-globin structural mutant, Hb Brescia (beta 114 Leu-Pro), causing a severe beta-thalassemia intermedia phenotype. 130 Nov 99

We have analysed seven polymorphic restriction sites of the human beta-globin gene cluster of six members of a Chinese family with a beta +-thalassemic sibling. The seven polymorphic sites analysed are the HincII site at the 5'-end of the epsilon-globin gene, the HindIII sites in the two gamma-globin genes, two HincII sites within and at the 3'-end of the psi beta 1 pseudogene, the AvaII site in the beta-globin gene and the BamHI site located at the 3' side of the beta-globin gene. The beta thal chromosome has been identified to have a haplotype of +----++ with respect to these seven polymorphic sites. This is also the most predominant haplotype associated with beta +-thalassemia in Mediterranean and Chinese populations (Chen et al., 1984; Orkin et al., 1982). Of the seven sites analysed in this family, four will be useful in prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia in subsequent pregnancies in the family.
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PMID:Restriction fragment length polymorphism of the human beta-globin gene cluster: analysis of a beta-thalassemic family in Taiwan. 301 18

To determine whether hemoglobin regulation is normal in diseases affecting beta-globin gene expression, globin synthesis was examined in members of a family of a patient with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin/beta o-thalassemia (HPFH/beta o-thal). The HPFH defect is the Ghanian type II, with a deletion from psi beta 1 to at least 20 kb 3' to beta. The beta o-thal gene has the haplotype II restriction enzyme pattern and has the beta 39 nonsense mutation. Erythroid colonies from blood BFU-E were radiolabeled, and globin chains were separated by gel electrophoresis. Colonies from the beta o-thal heterozygote had non-alpha/alpha ratios more balanced than in the reticulocytes. Gamma synthesis was 11% of non-alpha, which is higher than in reticulocytes, but within the range seen in normal adult colonies. Both HPFH heterozygotes produced 20%-30% gamma in erythroid colonies as well as reticulocytes, although non-alpha/alpha was more balanced in the colonies. The HPFH/beta o-thal patient produced 100% gamma in reticulocytes and in colonies. G gamma and gamma-synthetic proportions were not correlated at the individual colony level in the heterozygotes, suggesting that they had "adult" and not "fetal" progenitor cells. The Hb expression of these adult progenitors is presumably modulated normally in vivo in beta o-thal, but the normal decrease in HbF production does not occur in gene deletion HPFH.
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PMID:Fetal hemoglobin synthesis in erythroid cultures in hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin and beta o-thalassemia. 620 41

Several alpha-chain hemoglobin variants have been described as responsible, in homozygous or compound heterozygous patients, for a chronic hemolytic disease that overlaps thalassemia and Heinz bodies hemolytic anemia phenotypes. These variants are present in trace amounts together with some Hb H in the lysate of the patients. In the asymptomatic heterozygous carriers, they are usually not detected by electrophoretic methods. Hb Taybe is an example of such an unstable and thalassemic alpha-hemoglobin variant. This hemoglobin was observed in a young Israeli Arab woman having suffered since birth from a severe and highly regenerative hemolytic anemia for which she was splenectomized at age sixteen. The structural abnormality was characterized by protein chemistry as the deletion of a threonine residue at position alpha 38 or 39 and assigned to the alpha 1 gene by selective DNA sequencing. This structural modification is localized in helix C, which is a highly conserved 3(10) helix participating in the alpha 1 beta 2 contact and close to the alpha 1 beta 1 interface. The propositus and two siblings, who were also anemic, were found to be homozygous for the molecular defect, although the abnormal Hb was not detected in the latters. Consanguinity in this family demonstrated the threshold effect in the clinical manifestations of such alpha-gene disorders since heterozygotes were clinically and biologically normal.
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PMID:Hb Taybe (alpha 38 or 39 THR deleted): an alpha-globin defect, silent in the heterozygous state and producing severe hemolytic anemia in the homozygous. 799 22

Mutations within exon 3 of the beta-globin gene are relatively uncommon, and many of these mutations produce a dominant thalassemia-like phenotype. We describe a novel thalassemic hemoglobinopathy caused by a single nucleotide substitution (CTG-->CCG) at codon 114 resulting in a leucine to proline substitution and designate it beta Durham-NC [beta 114 Leu-->Pro]. The mutation producing this thalassemic hemoglobinopathy is located near to the beta Showa-Yakushiji mutation (beta 110 Leu-->Pro). Both of these hemoglobinopathies share similar phenotypic features with moderately severe microcytic anemia. Using computer imaging of the hemoglobin molecule, we examined several reported point mutations within exon 3 of the beta-globin gene. These point mutations cause a single amino acid substitution in the G helix, and result in a thalassemic and/or hemolytic phenotype. Computer imaging of nine separate examples suggests that amino acid substitutions affecting side chains that project into the heme pocket may destabilize the heme moiety within the beta-globin chain, resulting in a thalassemic phenotype. Hemolytic phenotypes may be the result of decreased alpha 1 beta 1 interactions. The beta Durham-NC mutation further characterizes a novel group of thalassemias/hemoglobinopathies that are clinically difficult to identify and require accessory laboratory testing.
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PMID:A novel beta-globin mutation, beta Durham-NC [beta 114 Leu-->Pro], produces a dominant thalassemia-like phenotype. 811 Oct 50

In patients with Thalassaemia Major the iron overload with alteration both of systolic and diastolic properties of left and right ventricles finally leads to symptoms of cardiac failure and is the most frequent cause of death in these patients. In the majority of asymptomatic thalassemic patients with normal myocardial mass it is possible to demonstrate an alteration of the diastolic function both with echocardiographic study and with radionuclide angiography (subclinical cardiac disease). We have also demonstrated in "ex thalassemics" with stable and heavy iron overload in the subclinical cardiac disease phase a subnormal systolic function and a slight impairment of the contractility state. Therefore our purpose was to evaluate cardiac performance emphasising the contractility properties of the left ventricle during moderate inotropic stimulation with dobutamine in thalassemic patients in subclinical cardiac disease. We are now also using this test to evaluate cardiac performance in adults thalassemic patients as a screening for marrow transplantation procedure. Dobutamine is a sympathomimetic drug (beta 1 agonist) that increases myocardial contractility and at high doses also systolic arterial blood pressure and heart rate. The half-life is extremely short and at low doses the drug has no major side effects. Continuous intravenous dobutamine infusion is largely used in the therapeutic field to treat cardiac failure and it is reported to be a very efficacious and safe therapeutic agent. Recently dobutamine stress echocardiography was reported to be an accurate non-invasive diagnostic technique for detecting cardiac dysfunction in adults with coronary artery disease (Dobutamine is used for this purpose at high dose to increase the myocardial oxygen consumption).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Cardiac study by dobutamine stress echocardiography in thalassemic patients. 837 53

Molecular studies of alpha-thalassaemias have revealed defects at different steps in the process of alpha-gene expression. It is not surprising, therefore, that in some cases a single mutation or small deletion can result in a structurally abnormal haemoglobin that produces the alpha-thalassaemia phenotype. In this report we describe a new unstable alpha-globin variant, Hb Lleida, in a Spanish patient with alpha-thalassaemia trait. The mutation was detected by single-strand conformation polymorphism in the third exon of the alpha 2-globin gene. Direct sequence analysis of the alpha-globin gene showed a 12 bp deletion as the only defect of the alpha 2- and alpha 1-globin genes. The propositus was revealed to be a heterozygous carrier, and two alleles were separated by electrophoresis. This deletion causes the loss of four aminoacid residues (from codon 113 to 116) and would be expected to produce an unstable haemoglobin, as a shorter alpha-globin chain variant is created with 137 amino acids instead of 141 amino acids present in a normal alpha-globin chain. However, no abnormal haemoglobin was found by either isoelectric focusing or haemoglobin electrophoresis. Since the deletion affects an aminoacid residue (114 Pro) involved in alpha 1-beta 1-globin chain contacts, the interaction required for efficient Hb assembly is also compromised. The resulting unstable alpha-globin chain is rapidly catabolized and unsuitable for haemoglobin tetramer formation, causing an alpha-thalassaemia trait phenotype in the heterozygous patient.
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PMID:Haemoglobin Lleida: a new alpha 2-globin variant (12 bp deletion) with mild thalassaemic phenotype. 882 86