Nucleotide sequences of human globin messenger RNA.

Globin messenger RNA, isolated from human peripheral blood reticulocytes, was transcribed into complementary DNA by use of the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase of avian myeloblastosis virus. The complementary DNA was then transcribed into (32)P-labeled complementary RNA by E. coli RNA polymerase in the presence of alpha-(32)P-labeled ribonucleoside triphosphates. The fingerprint pattern obtained from ribonuclease T1 digests of human globin complementary RNA was specific and reproducible. Different patterns were obtained from digests of duck, mouse, and rabbit globin complementary RNA. The fingerprint patterns obtained from digests of purified natural human 10S globin messenger RNA, labeled in vitro with (125)I or with [gamma-(32)P]ATP and polynucleotide kinase, were similar to that of the complementary RNA but contained some additional oligonucleotides. Sufficient nucleotide sequence information has been obtained from about 50% of the intermediate sized oligonucleotides (8-14 base residues long), to make possible examination of correspondence between these nucleotide sequences and globin amino-acid sequences. Approximately 70% of these oligonucleotide sequences can be matched to unique amino-acid sequences in the alpha- or beta-globin chains. The other 30% do not match known amino-acid sequences and presumably correspond to untranslated portions of the mRNA; some of these sequences, however, can be matched to amino-acid sequence in the abnormally long segment of the alpha chain of hemoglobin Constant Spring, which is thought to result from a chain-termination mutation.