spin once Magnify Reduce Cutaway view

Sharpness (slower but prettier)   Background:

Sickle Cell anemia

the Changed Amino Acid

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease arising from a single nucleotide alteration in the beta globin gene; the synthesized protein thus has one 'incorrect' amino acid. One striking feature of the disease is that its many phenotypes arise directly from a simple change in surface properties--all because of of the difference between the substituted amino acid and the original.
Replay open  Glu vs. Val

The difference between glutamic acid and valine is the sole underlying cause of sickle cell anemia. Continue on to see how it manifests