Genetic Variants And Their Effects Flashcards
What are genetic variants?
Small changes in the order of the bases that make up a strand of DNA.
They can affect the structure of proteins in different ways, depending on whether they can occur in coding DNA or non coding DNA
What is a genotype?
The genes present in DNA of an individual
What is a phenotype?
The visible effect of genotype genes (eg. The proteins they code for)
What is a mutation?
When a sequence of bases in the DNA has changed
How does a mutation change the sequence of the bases in DNA?
A base is inserted into the code, a base is deleted from the code, or a base is substituted
What are mutations cause by?
UV light, Chemicals in cigarette smoke or environment, background radiation or spontaneously
What can mutations cause?
Cancer
Also variation in species, potentially protecting them against a particular disease
