A new sickling variant 'Hb S-Wake β[(Glu6Val-Asn139 Ser)]' found in a compound heterozygote with Hb S β(Glu6Val) coinherited with homozygous α-thalassemia-2: phenotype and molecular characteristics.

We report the case of a 14-year-old African-American boy who was diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Laboratory tests showed that the patient was a compound heterozygote for a novel Hb variant with a double mutation detected on β(S) allele, Hb S βGlu6Val, and βAsn139Ser substitution, i.e. a β-chain variant named 'Hb S-Wake'. The patient also carried a single Hb S mutation in trans allele, leading to Hb SS-Wake disease. He had coinherited homozygous α(+)-thalassemia (-α(3.7)/-α(3.7)) simultaneously which resulted in multiple globin gene abnormalities.