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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1983 Aug;80(15):4842–4846. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.15.4842

Treatment of sickle cell anemia with 5-azacytidine results in increased fetal hemoglobin production and is associated with nonrandom hypomethylation of DNA around the gamma-delta-beta-globin gene complex.

S Charache, G Dover, K Smith, C C Talbot Jr, M Moyer, S Boyer
PMCID: PMC384141  PMID: 6192443

Abstract

Increased production of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) was observed in a patient with sickle cell anemia treated with 5-azacytidine. Each of four courses of therapy resulted in a rapid and prolonged increase in the percentage of HbF containing reticulocytes (F reticulocytes) and HbF containing erythrocytes (F cells). The percentage of HbF in peripheral blood rose from 1.8 to 8.9%. The rise in HbF production was accompanied by an increase in peripheral blood hemoglobin concentration from 8 to 12 g/dl and an increase in mean erythrocyte volume. Treatment with 5-azacytidine resulted in hypomethylation of total genomic and a Y-chromosome-specific DNA fragment isolated from both peripheral blood and bone marrow. Of 15 restriction enzyme sites around the gamma-delta-beta-globin gene complex, only 2 became hypomethylated: one 107 bases 5' to the gamma G and the other 107 bases 5' to the gamma A globin genes.

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Selected References

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