HBA2
Encyclopedia
Hemoglobin, alpha 2 also known as HBA2 is a gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

 that in humans codes for the alpha globin chain of hemoglobin
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...

.

Function

The human alpha globin gene cluster located on chromosome 16 spans about 30 kb and includes seven alpha like globin genes and pseudogenes: 5'- HBZ
HBZ
Hemoglobin subunit zeta is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HBZ gene.-Further reading:...

 - HBZP1 - HBM
Mu hemoglobin
Mu hemoglobin is a protein which in humans is encoded by the HBM gene....

 - HBAP1 - HBA2 - HBA1
HBA1
Hemoglobin, alpha 1, also known as HBA1, is a human gene encoding the hemoglobin protein.-Interactions:Hemoglobin, alpha 1 has been shown to interact with HBB. Interactions between the N-terminal amino groups of the alpha-subunits and the C-terminal histidine of the β-subunits participate in ion...

 - HBQ1
HBQ1
Hemoglobin subunit theta-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HBQ1 gene.-Further reading:...

 -3'. The HBA2 (α2) and HBA1 (α1) coding sequences are identical. These genes differ slightly over the 5' untranslated regions and the introns, but they differ significantly over the 3' untranslated regions. Two α-chains plus two-β chains constitute HbA, which in normal adult life comprises about 97% of the total hemoglobin
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...

; alpha chains combine with delta chains to constitute HbA-2, which with HbF (fetal hemoglobin) makes up the remaining 3% of adult hemoglobin. Alpha thalassemias result from deletions of each of the alpha genes as well as deletions of both HBA2 and HBA1; some nondeletion alpha thalassemia
Thalassemia
Thalassemia is an inherited autosomal recessive blood disease that originated in the Mediterranean region. In thalassemia the genetic defect, which could be either mutation or deletion, results in reduced rate of synthesis or no synthesis of one of the globin chains that make up hemoglobin...

s have also been reported.

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