-transparent.png){kind=logo}
In previous studies of patients with beta thalassemia, mRNA extracted from reticulocytes in peripheral blood when added to cell-free systems reproduces the deficient beta-chain synthesis characteristic of intact cells. The present studies with specific probes for alpha and beta mRNA were designed to decide whether the decreased beta mRNA activity is due to the presence of abnormal or reduced beta globin mRNA in these cells. Purified alpha and beta complementary DNAs (cDNAs) have been synthesized with RNA-instructed DNA polymerase; alpha and beta mRNAs isolated from heavy (beta-producing) and light (alpha-producing) polyribosomes of rabbit reticulocytes were used as templates. Each of the cDNAs is more than 80% pure by the criterion of biological activity. The alpha cDNA labeled with [(32)P]dCTP and the beta cDNA labeled with [(3)H]dCTP have been added simultaneously to reaction mixtures containing various concentrations of mRNA from thalassemic and nonthalassemic subjects. The extent and rate of hybridization were determined, permitting a comparison of relative alpha and beta mRNA content in the same annealing mixture. In six nonthalassemic patients, relatively equal amounts of hybridizable alpha and beta mRNA appear to be present. In five of seven patients with beta-thalassemia, significantly decreased amounts of beta mRNA compared to alpha mRNA can be demonstrated. In two patients with Hemoglobin H disease, there is a decreased amount of alpha mRNA compared to beta mRNA.
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
January 1974,
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
October 1971,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
January 1980,
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
January 1971,
Series haematologica (1968),
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
October 1973,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
February 1973,
Nature: New biology,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
December 1981,
The Journal of clinical investigation,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
January 1984,
American journal of hematology,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
November 1978,
Israel journal of medical sciences,
D L Kacian, and
R Gambino, and
L W Dow, and
E Grossbard, and
C Natta, and
F Ramirez, and
S Spiegelman, and
P A Marks, and
A Bank
April 1987,
Brain research,
