A Novel Peptide Inhibitor of the Polymerization of Deoxygenated Sickle Cell Hemoglobin
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2015
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-18-2015 9:00 AM
End Date
4-18-2015 10:00 AM
Disciplines
Chemistry
Abstract
Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder that causes red blood cells to form sickle shapes. These sickle-shaped red blood cells cannot pass through small blood vessels, which in turn causes tissue damage and cell death. The disease is caused by the exchange of a hydrophilic amino acid for a hydrophobic residue. This exchange enables deoxygenated hemoglobin molecules to interact with each other. This interaction causes the formation of long polymeric chains of hemoglobin that cause the red blood cell to be distorted into the sickle shape. Our group focuses on discovering peptides that can inhibit the polymerization of sickle cell hemoglobin. We previously identified a peptide, ZSF-39, that shows promise in preventing polymerization. My research involves testing the effectiveness of ZSF-39 in delaying the polymerization time of sickle cell hemoglobin at varying concentrations. This was done with UV-Vis assays. The results show that ZSF-39 can delay polymerization and that the length of the delay increases as concentration increases.
A Novel Peptide Inhibitor of the Polymerization of Deoxygenated Sickle Cell Hemoglobin
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder that causes red blood cells to form sickle shapes. These sickle-shaped red blood cells cannot pass through small blood vessels, which in turn causes tissue damage and cell death. The disease is caused by the exchange of a hydrophilic amino acid for a hydrophobic residue. This exchange enables deoxygenated hemoglobin molecules to interact with each other. This interaction causes the formation of long polymeric chains of hemoglobin that cause the red blood cell to be distorted into the sickle shape. Our group focuses on discovering peptides that can inhibit the polymerization of sickle cell hemoglobin. We previously identified a peptide, ZSF-39, that shows promise in preventing polymerization. My research involves testing the effectiveness of ZSF-39 in delaying the polymerization time of sickle cell hemoglobin at varying concentrations. This was done with UV-Vis assays. The results show that ZSF-39 can delay polymerization and that the length of the delay increases as concentration increases.