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Sickle Cell Anemia Lab
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Background Information
Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein located in red blood
cells that’s responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. This mutation
gives red blood cells their texture and sickle shape, which causes them to get stuck in blood vessels
and slow or block the transportation of blood and oxygen throughout the body.
Mutation starts in the DNA. If the DNA contains a mutation, the mRNA copies it and passes it to the
tRNA, which produces an incorrect or nonexistent protein. In the case of sickle cell anemia, the tRNA
produces an oddly shaped protein that doesn’t work the way it is supposed to. To better understand
how coding errors produce mutations, you’ll compare the transcription of a section of a normal DNA
molecule to that of a sickle mutation in DNA.
Lab Goals
In this lab, you will compare a normal section of DNA that is transcribed by mRNA to produce a regular
hemoglobin molecule, with a section of mutated DNA that is transcribed by mRNA to produce an
abnormal hemoglobin molecule. Remember: the abnormal hemoglobin molecule is what causes the
sickle shaped red blood cells.
Table 1: DNA Sections
The table below shows a section of normal DNA and a section of DNA with a sickle mutation.
Normal DNA Section
G
G
G
C
T
T
C
T
T
Sickle Mutation DNA Section
T
T
T
G
G
G
C
A
A
C
T
T
T
T
T
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Table 2: Amino Acid Codes
The table below shows the nitrogen bases for mRNA that code for each DPLQRDFLG. Note that there
are three nitrogen bases per set.
mRNA Set
CCC
GAA
AAA
GUU
$PLQR$FLGV
A
B
C
S
Data Sheet
Use the data sheet below to record your observations from the lab.
Normal DNA Section
Sickle Mutation DNA Section
mRNA Code
tRNA Code
Order RI
$PLQR$FLGV
Shape of
Blood Cells
NOTE: Remember the following matches for base pairs:
• mRNA:
AU
TA
CG
GC
•
tRNA:
AU
CG
UA
GC
Lab Procedure
1. Examine the two DNA strands in Table 1.
2. In the “mRNA Code” row of your data sheet, fill in the correct letters that will match with the base
pairs of the normal DNA section and the sickle mutation DNA section.
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3. In the “tRNA Code” row of your data sheet, fill in the correct letters that will match with the base
pairs of the mRNA codes you filled in for Step 2.
4. Examine the information in Table 2.
5. In the “Order of Amino Acids” row of your data sheet, fill in the amino acids that the mRNA strands
code for.
6. In the “Shape of Blood Cells” row of your data sheet, fill in the shape of the red blood cells that
corresponds to the proteins coded for. Fill in round for normal blood cells and sickle for sickled red
blood cells.
Art Credits
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