4.2: Mutations

Question 1

gene mutation

Answer 1

a change in the specific order of the A G C and T bases that make up a particular gene

Question 2

gene therapy

Answer 2

techniques developed to alter mutated genes on order to make them function properly

Question 3

mutagens

Answer 3

substances or factors that can cause mutations in DNA

Question 4

negative mutation

Answer 4

a mutation that harms an organism or reduces the probability of that organism producing an offspring or surviving in their environment.

Question 5

neutral mutation

Answer 5

a mutation that does not affect the organism. it does not increase or decrease the organisms survival rate.

Question 6

positive mutation

Answer 6

a mutation that benefits an organism

Question 7

examples of positive mutations

Answer 7

a positive mutation is the resistance to HIV or having the ability to see colours more distinctively

Question 8

examples of negative mutations

Answer 8

cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and colour blindness

Question 9

example of a neutral mutation

Answer 9

change in eye colour

Question 10

3 examples of environmental mutagens

Answer 10

environmental mutagens can cause genes to be misread or copied incorrectly. some examples of environmental mutagens are cigarette smoke, radiation from x-rays or uv rays even household chemicals

Question 11

what must happen inside the cell for gene therapy to be successful

Answer 11

for gene therapy to be successful a geneticist has to shoot the inactive virus into the nuclei of millions of target cells. then the patients cells must be able to activate or switch on these healthy genes so that the cells produce the healthy protein

Question 12

the 3 effects of mutations

Answer 12

deletion (one base is missing)
addition (an extra base is added)
substitution (one base is substituted for another one)