ABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To explore the molecular biological mechanism of hemoglobin with high oxygen affinity in Tibetans by determining the sequence of globin cDNA in Tibetans living at high altitude.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Total RNA was isolated from human bone marrow samples of three Tibetans who live in Qinghai-Tibet plateau. cDNA fragments coding for alpha and beta genes of human hemoglobin were obtained through RT-PCR and were ligated to plasmid pGEM-T easy vectors, and then the ligation liquid were transformed to Escherichia coli and cloned and sequenced. Nucleotide sequences were compared with GenBank data by BLAST method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>sequence of a globin cDNA in Tibetans were the same with the registering globin genes in the GenBank, and Hb Abruzzo (beta143 (H21), His- > Arg) gene mutation, a high oxygen affinity beta globin mutation, was found in one Tibetan' beta goblin coding gene (CAC- > CGC).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This hemoglobin gene mutation may be associated with high altitude adaptation of Tibetans living at high altitude.</p>