DNA samples from numerous subjects of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, with or without various hemoglobinopathies (classicalβ-thalassemia; silentβ-thalassemia, Hb E, sickle cell anemia), were studied for a rearrangement (+ATA; -T) at nucleotide-530 in the 5’flanking region of theβ-globin gene using amplified DNA and32P-labeled synthetic oligonucleotide probes. The data show that this unusual sequence is a common feature among East-Asians and Blacks (particularly SS patients), and is not associated with mild thalassemic features typical for the silent form ofβ-thalassemia, as has been suggested (5).