The !-globin and "-globin genes

The !-globin-like genes (%, "G, "A, #, !) of man
are located on the short arm of chromosome 11
in region 1, band 5.5 (11p15.5). They span about
60000 base pairs (bp), or 60 kb (kilobases), of
DNA.
There are two " genes, "A and "G, which differ
only in codon 136. Codon 136 of "A is alanine,
and of "G, glycine. A pseudogene (&!1) is located
between the A" gene and the # gene. It is
similar to the ! gene, but has been permanently
altered by deletion and an internal stop codon,
so that it cannot code for a functional polypeptide.
A region that jointly regulates these genes
is located upstream (in the 5' direction) from
the ! genes (LCR, long-range control region).
In humans, two $-globin genes are located on
the short arm of chromosome 16 (16p13.11 to
16p13.33) on a DNA segment of about 30 kb. A '
gene, which is active only during the embryonic
period, lies in the 5' direction. Three pseudogenes:
&',&$2, and&$1 are located in between.
A further gene, (, with unknown function, has
been identified in this region.