Point mutation involves only the replacement of one nucleotide with another. One type of point mutation is missense mutation. These are base changes that alter the codon for an amino acid resulting in its substitution with a different amino acid. For example, mutation of the codon CTT to ATT would result in thereplacement of the hydrophobic amino acid leucine with isoleucine, another hydrophobic amino acid. Many other missense mutations have been described which do affect the encoded protein and result in genetic diseases. These include an A to T mutation inthe gene for β -globin, one of the polypeptides of haemoglobin. This mutation changes codon six of the gene from GAG which encodes glutamic acid to GTG which encodes valine. The mutation results in acondition called sickle cell anaemia.