The disbalance of alpha- and beta-globins in anemic Belgrade rat red blood cells.

The Belgrade Laboratory (b/b) rat has an autosomal mutation which in homozygous state induces severe anemia. This study was based on solubilization of total rat globin chains and their separation into alpha- and beta-globins using a 20% SDS polyacrylamide gel. These analyses demonstrated that the disbalance of alpha/beta globins in b/b red blood cells (RBC) is due to decreased level of alpha-globins. Iron-dextran administration corrected the level and globin ratio in b/b RBC thus confirming that the iron deficiency is the primary defect in b/b rats.