Summary
The population structure of two alleles with similar characteristics, HbS and beta-thalassemia, was studied in the same area in Sicily. It was observed that beta-thalassemia has uniform frequencies over the island, and that HbS shows a South-North cline. A singularity exists for HbS in the town of Butera, where the frequency of the S gene is six times higher than the island average. It was suggested that HbS entered Sicily from Greece (or directly from North Africa) when the beta-thalassemia allele was already established in the Island.
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Barrai, I., Schiliro, G., Beretta, M. et al. Population structure of Sicily: beta-thalassemia and HbS. Hum Genet 75, 1–3 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00273828
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00273828