Abstract
IN man foetal haemoglobin (Hb F, α2γ2), which is the main respiratory protein throughout intrauterine life, is almost completely replaced by adult haemoglobin (Hb A, α2β2) during the first 6 months after birth. The mechanism of the switch from γ to β-chain production is unknown. In intra uterine life erythropoiesis occurs first in the yolk sac, then in the liver and spleen and finally in the bone marrow1. Hb A production occurs at a low level from about the ninth to twelfth week of gestation2–6 and there is evidence that foetal liver can synthesize both Hb A and F4,7. It is not known, however, whether the switch from Hb F to Hb A production is synchronous in different foetal organs, which might be expected if it were hormonally controlled, or whether there are local organ-specific differences in the rate of change from Hb F to A production. To examine this problem, and to obtain further information about the pattern of Hb A production in early intrauterine life, we have examined Hb synthesis in foetal organs at different stages of development.
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WOOD, W., WEATHERALL, D. Haemoglobin Synthesis during Human Foetal Development. Nature 244, 162–165 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/244162a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/244162a0
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