A 2-year-old girl with sickle cell anemia is brought to emergency because of severe left hand pain for the past 3 hours. A peripheral smear shows many sickled erythrocytes. Which of the following best describes the molecular basis for sickling in this patient?
Decreased hydrophobic interactions in oxygenated hemoglobin
Increased hydrophobic interactions in deoxygenated hemoglobin
Increased net negative charge in beta-hemoglobin chain
Increased affinity for 2-3-BPG
Increased covalent bonding in acidic venous circulation
