Sickle cell hemoglobin fiber formation strongly inhibited by the Stanleyville II mutation (alpha 78 Asn leads to Lys).

A double mutant hemoglobin possessing both the Hb S (beta 6 Glu leads to Val) and the Hb Stanleyville II (alpha 78 Asn leads to Lys) mutations has been purified from the blood of a donor heterozygous for both of the mutations. The purification required two chromatography steps, with the second permitting resolution of the double mutant from Hb A2 remaining after the first step. Measurement of the competence for fiber formation by the double mutant hemoglobin was carried out by the centrifugation of gels to obtain Csat. The double mutant was found to have a greatly elevated Csat, 26.4 gm/dl, compared to 15.2 gm/dl for the Hb S control. The concentration of the pellet of the centrifuged gel for the double mutant was in the range 48-50 gm/dl, suggesting that no major rearrangement in the structure of the fibers had been induced by the Stanleyville II mutation. Electron microscopic observations on the fibers of the double mutant confirmed that a normal appearance was maintained.