The identification of defectives genes underlying inherited diseases has made it clear that patients with the same genotype can have variable clinical expression. Suggestions proposing that the protein AHSP, a alpha-globin specific chaperone could influence disease severity in patients with beta-thalassemia, an inherited disorder characterized by a quantitative deficiency of beta-globin genes. This article presents a review of the AHSP gene structure, function and expression. A discussion of the AHSP gene acknowledgements is presented with an overview of the possible genetic modifier function of AHSP on beta-thalassemia pathophysiology.10157-61