Genetic Mutation Flashcards
What are genetic mutations?
alterations of the DNA sequence of an organisms genome
What are common causes of mutations?
physical mutations, reactive chemical mutations, and biological agents
What are physical mutations?
ionizing radiation that can cause DNA breaks
What are reactive chemical mutations?
chemicals that can cause:
covalently alter bases
cause cross-linking
strand breaks
What is a mutagen?
any compound that can cause a mutation
What are the seven types of mutations?
point mutations, insertions, deletions, inversions, amplifications, translocations and rearrangements, and loss of heterozygosity
What are the three types of point mutations? What is a description of each?
missense mutation = amino acid replaced by another amino acid
nonsense mutation = stop codon replaces a regular codon
silent mutations = codon is changed into a new codon for the same amino acid
What are frameshift mutations?
mutations that cause a shift in the reading frame of the genetic material
What is an inversion mutation?
segment of a chromosome is reversed end to end
What is chromosome amplification?
when a segment of chromosome is duplicated
What is translocation?
results when recombination occurs between nonhomologous chromosomes
What are transposons?
mobile genetic elements known as transposable elements
What mutations can transposons cause?
inversions, deletions, and rearrangements
What are the three types of transposons?
IS element
composite transposons
complex transposons
What is transposase?
enzyme that has cut and paste activity where it catalyzes the mobilization of transposons
