Molecular Analysis of the High-Hemoglobin-F Phenotype in Saudi Arabian Sickle Cell Anemia

Abstract
Patients from the eastern province of Saudi Arabia who have sickle cell anemia have high circulating levels of fetal hemoglobin (hemoglobin F, 17 percent), and they therefore have a mild form of the disease. To examine the molecular basis of the elevated production of hemoglobin F, we searched for mutations in the promoter regions of the two hemoglobin F gamma-globin genes (Gγ and Aγ).