Inhomogeneity of hemoglobin. VI. The minor hemoglobin components of cord blood.

By BENNETT F. HORTON, ROBERT B. THOMPSON, ANDREE M. Dozy, CARL M. NECHTMAN, EVAN NIcHOLs AND TITUS H. J. HUISMAN D URING the past few years, some human hemoglobins have been found composed of one single type of polypeptide chain in contrast to the more common hemoglobins, composed of two types of polypeptide chains. The most important of these are Hb-Bart’s, composed of four of the y chains of Hb-F,’7 and Hb-H, composed of four cf the chains of Hb-A.’M It would appear, therefore, that Hb-Bart’s is related to Hb-F in the same way as Hb-H is to Hb-A. Small amounts of Hb-Bart’s have been observed primarily in cord bloods and in the blood of Hb-H carriers,24 while Hb-H has been reported to occur principally in the presence of a gene cf thalassemia.22 Ramot et al.23 recently reported two cases in which both Hb-Bart’s and Hb-H were present; evidence has been presented that similar combinations should occur more often.9 During routine electrophoretic studies of the hemoglobin of umbilical cord blood of Negro babies, varying amounts of Hb-Bart’s-like and Hb-H-like components were noticed in many of these bicod samples. The present study reports the results of a more extensive investigation dealing with the charac-