The Primate α-Globin Gene Family: A Paradigm of the Fluid Genome
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Excerpt
The human α-globin gene family, like the β-globin family, is excellent for the study of the mechanisms of gene regulation and molecular evolution. First, the family consists of genes that are differentially and coordinately expressed during development (Bunn et al. 1977; Maniatis et al. 1980; Collins and Weissman 1984). Second, the human α-globin-like cluster has been cloned, and the bulk of its nucleotide sequence has been determined (see references below). Third, there exist well-documented clinical data and molecular studies of both quantitative and qualitative variations in the gene products from this region (Higgs et al. 1985; Kan 1985; Livingstone 1985). Fourth, the various DNA rearrangements that have occurred and continue to be found in human populations (Goossens et al. 1980; Higgs et al. 1981, 1985; Goodbourn et al. 1983; Hess et al. 1983, 1984; Kan 1985) make it a useful system in which to study both homologous and illegitimate recombination...
