Activity: find the sickle-cell residue

In sickle-cell disease, glutamate 6 of β-globin becomes valine. Find it in human haemoglobin (PDB entry 4HHB).

  1. Hover over the four chains to read their names, then click a β chain (Hemoglobin subunit beta).
  2. Find residue 6 of a β chain and click it, in 3D or in the sequence at the top (choose 2: Hemoglobin subunit beta there first).
  3. Is glutamate 6 on the surface, or buried inside the molecule?
  4. UniProt and AlphaFold number this glutamate 7. Why?

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