SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

CODOMINANCE Codominance means both alleles are expressed equally Sickle Cell Disease is caused by a Codominant allele –Affects 1 out of 500 African Americans –Sickle cell disease is characterized by the bent and twisted shape of the red blood cells (rbc) (they look like sickles) –Deformed rbcs tend to stick in the capillaries (narrowest blood vessels) and stop movement of blood, damaging tissues and organs

SICKLE CELL ANMEIA –This disease is sometimes fatal, and is very painful –Hemoglobin is a protein in rbcs that carries O2, and 1 change in the Hemoglobin gene causes sickle cell disease –Why do so many African Americans carry this sickle cell allele? People heterozygous for this allele have a higher protection against Malaria, a disease prevalent in West Africa