Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 15: Problem 13

You land a post as scientific investigator with a pharmaceutical company that would like to develop drugs to treat people with sickle-cell anemia. They want ideas from you! What molecular properties of Hb S might you suggest as potential targets of drug therapy?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Potential targets of drug therapy for sickle cell anemia could focus on preventing the polymerization of deoxygenated Hb S, raising oxygen affinity of Hb S to deter sickling conditions, or promoting production of Hb F to reduce the presence of Hb S and its subsequent sickling.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Disease & Properties of Hb S

Sickle cell anemia is a severe hereditary form of anemia in which a mutated form of hemoglobin distorts the red blood cells into a crescent shape at low oxygen levels. Hb S carries an abnormal form of beta-globin due to a genetic mutation. The properties to focus on include its low oxygen affinity, the tendency for deoxygenated Hb S to polymerize, and how these conditions cause cells to sickle.
02

Identify Potential Targets Formulated from Properties

Following the understanding of the properties from step 1, potential targets include: 1. Preventing the polymerization of deoxygenated Hb S, as this is the primary cause of sickling. 2. Modifying the oxygen affinity of Hb S, so that it retains more oxygen, preventing the deoxygenation condition that leads to its polymerization. 3. Stimulating the production of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) which does not sickle and can stop the sickling process.
03

Suggest Drug Therapy Targets

The drug therapies should ideally target: 1. Prevention or reduction of Hb S polymerization. Drugs can be developed to interrupt the bonding process that enables this polymerization. 2. Modification of Hb S's oxygen affinity. Drugs can be sought which can increase the oxygen-holding capacity of the Hb S. 3. Stimulation of Hb F production. Certain agents/drugs are known for their ability to stimulate Hb F production, thus reducing the relative concentration of Hb S, decreasing sickling.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

(Integrates with Chapter \(13 .\) ) Draw both Lineweaver-Burk plots and Hanes- Woolf plots for an MWC allosteric enzyme system, showing separate curves for the kinetic response in (a) the absence of any effectors, (b) the presence of allosteric activator \(A,\) and \((c)\) the presence of allosteric inhibitor I.

Allosteric enzymes that sit at branch points leading to several essental products sometimes display negative cooperativity for feedback inhibition (allosteric inhibition) by one of the products. What might be the advantage of negative cooperativity instead of positive cooperativity in feedback inhibitor binding by such enzymes?

I ist six general ways in which enzyme activity is controlled.

Cholera toxin is an enzyme that covalently modifies the \(G_{\alpha}\) -subunit of G proteins. (Cholera toxin catalyzes the transfer of ADP-ribose from NAD \(^{+}\) to an arginine residue in \(G_{\alpha},\) an ADP-ribosylation reaction.) Covalent modification of \(\mathrm{G}_{\alpha}\) inactivates its GTPase activity. Predict the consequences of cholera toxin on cellular cAMP and glycogen levels.

What are the relative advantages (and disadvantages) of allosteric regulation versus covalent modification?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Organic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Nuclear Chemistry

Read Explanation

Physical Chemistry

Read Explanation

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemical Reactions

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free