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. 1971 Oct;68(10):2514–2518. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.10.2514

Beta Thalassemia and Translation of Globin Messenger RNA

David G Nathan *,†, Harvey F Lodish *,‡, Yuet W Kan †, David Housman *
PMCID: PMC389458  PMID: 5289885

Abstract

To define the quality and relative quantity of beta and alpha messenger RNA in human nonthalassemic and thalassemic reticulocytes, intact cells were incubated with [35S]methionine. The relative amounts of beta- and alpha-nascent chains on polysomes of different sizes were measured by tryptic digestion of pooled polysomes and by determination of the specific activities of beta and alpha peptides that contain methionine. Betachain synthesis predominated on heavy polysomes in nonthalassemic, as well as in thalassemic cells. Since beta chains in thalassemia are made on normal-size polyribosomes, we conclude that the defect in thalassemia does not involve reduction in the rate of initiation of translation due to the production of an abnormal beta message. Such would lead to beta-chain synthesis on very small polysomes. We therefore suggest that the decreased production of beta-globin chains results from a decreased amount of functional beta-globin messenger RNA.

Keywords: reticulocytes, polyribosomes, alpha chains, beta chains

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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