Hb Laibin [β96(FG3)Leu→Arg; HBB: c.290T>G]: A Novel Hemoglobin Variant Described in a Chinese Family

We report a novel β chain hemoglobin (Hb) variant found in a Chinese family. A high level of Hb F was observed on capillary electrophoresis (CE). However, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed a high level of Hb A2. DNA sequencing revealed a single base substitution (T>G) at codon 96 of exon 2 of the β-globin gene. This alters the normally encoded leucine to arginine [β96(FG3)Leu→Arg; HBB: c.290T>G] that we propose to name Hb Laibin for the region of origin of the proband. The pedigree study showed that it was inherited from his mother.