Sickle Cell Case Study

1. Macromolecules affected by Sickle Cell
a. Hemoglobin: When the body is infected by Sickle Cell Disease, the primary structure of Hemoglobin is mutated. In the amino acid sequence, valine is substituted for glutamic acid causing sickle cell disease. This single mutation will eventually cause the entire protein to divide itself.
b. Lipids: The lipids in the membrane of the cell are altered by sickle cell disease. Those who suffer from the disease have defective fasting lipid metabolism. This has been suggested to have the potential to alter membrane fluidity and function of red blood cells.

2. Healthy vs. Affected Sickle Cell Disease affects the Red Blood Cells (RBC) in the body. Sickle Cell is caused by a mutation in the genome where GLU is replaced with VAL, changing the structure and denaturing the protein. This causes the RBC to sickle. When the RBC is sickled, it is not as efficient in carrying oxygen or moving through the bloodstream.
Normal RBC’s have a circular, biconcave structure, allowing the
Although the disease affects most organs throughout the body, we will be focusing specifically on the spleen. The spleen’s main function in the body is to filter out bacteria that’s present in the blood and ultimately fight infection. The blood vessels flow play a very important role in the spleen’s filtering process. Furthermore, as images C1 and C2 show, because the red blood cells change shape they begin to build up and eventually block the flow of blood through the vessels. Once the vessels are entirely blocked and blood can no longer flow, splenic sequestration occurs. Splenic sequestration results in the spleen eventually erupting due to the blockage and the buildup of oxygen in the vessels. Splenic sequestration is only one of the many transportation routed that is affected throughout the body when sickle cell plays a