Partial deletion of the 5' beta-globin gene region causes beta zero- thalassemia in members of an American black family

Restriction endonuclease mapping defined a partial deletion of about 1.35 kb in the beta-globin gene of a black American patient with hemoglobin S-beta zero-thalassemia and in his uncle with a beta zero- thalassemia trait. The 5′ endpoint of the deletion is about 600 bases upstream from the cap site, and the 3′ endpoint lies within about 500 bases from the 5 splice junction of the second intervening sequence. The deletion is different from that of a previously reported Indian beta zero-thalassemia allele, where 0.6 kb is deleted at the 3′ end of the beta-globin gene.