Question

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary mutation that causes the red blood cells to deform, decreasing their ability to carry oxygen. Based on the image, what kind of mutation occurs to cause sickle cell disease?

Answer 1

Since there is no image provided in the question, I cannot answer this question. However, I can explain the mutation that causes sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is caused by a mutation in the HBB gene, which provides instructions for making a protein called beta-globin. The mutation results in a change in a single DNA base pair, causing the amino acid valine to be substituted for glutamic acid in the beta-globin protein. This change in amino acid sequence alters the shape of the protein, causing the red blood cells to form a sickle or crescent shape instead of their normal biconcave shape. This sickling makes the cells less flexible and more likely to get trapped in small blood vessels, leading to reduced oxygen supply to tissues and organs, and the characteristic symptoms of sickle cell disease