Mutation Flashcards
rare alleles are termed
mutations
an organisms containing rare alleles are termed
mutants- often non functional proteins
the normal allele organism are termed
wild types- normal proteins
mechanisms of preventing mutation
-proofreading DNA polymerases -post replication mismatch repair- Muts and MutL -DNA repair by homologous recombination -cell cycle checkpoints
environmental factors which cause mutations
radiation chemical mutagens
replication slippages
can generate Short tandem repeats or minisattelites variation e.g. additions

variation in a single gene is
necessary and sufficient too cause disease - more than 1000 genes known in humans
mutations and mendelian disorders
mendelian disorders are controlled by a single locus in an inheritance pattern- therefore a mutation in a single gene can cause disease
example of a mutated single gene causing disease
cystic fibrosis-recessive sickle cell anaemia -recessive albinism -recessive Huntingtons- dominant Haemophilia A- x linked
in diploids mutations are normally..
recessive, this is why mutations are lethal in haploid or homozygous organisms
mutations and selections
Ledeerbergs experiment in 1952 showed that mutations occur before selection, therefore selection does not cause mutation

transition mutations
a point mutation that changes a purine nucleotide to another purine (A G) or a pyrimidine nucleotide to another pyrimidine ( T C)

purine nucleotides
A G
pyrimidine nucleotides
C T
pyrimidine nucleotides
C T
Transversion mutation
substitution of a two ring purine for a one ring pyrimidine or vice versa e.g. A substituted for T e.g. G substituted for C
three types of chemical mutagens
1) intercalating agents 2) base analogues 3) base modifying agents
intercalating agents
insert between able pairs since they have a similar shape to nucleotides and cause a frameshift mutation– planar molecules e.g. proflavin
base analogues
incorporated into DNA in place of normal base= mis -pair base
base modifying agents
covalently alter a base causing is to mispair e.g. if an amine group is removed from cytosine it is transformed to uracil
UV can lead to
point mutations
point mutations are caused by
UV
e.g. two seperate thymine on a dna backbone can be transformed to

a photodimer
UV causes two thymine to become
a photodimer on a backbone

photolyase and white light causes
photodimer to become 2 thymine again
photodimer to become 2 thymine again
photolyase and white light causes
photolayse
Photolyases (EC 4.1.99.3) are DNA repair enzymes that repair damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet light. This enzyme requires visible light, preferentially from the violet/blue end of the spectrum, and the mechanism known as photo reactivation.§
base modifying agents
covalently alter a base causing it to mispair
what covalently alter a base causing it to mispair
base modifying agent
delaminating agents
remove amino groups
hydroxylating agents
add hydroxyl groups
alkylating agents
add alkyl groups
Temp sensitive mutation
e.g. mutant protein is less stable at non-permissive temp -very useful for studying essential cell function e.g. yeast mutants
example of selection using temp and mutagenised cells
mutagenised cells proliferate at 23 degrees - colonies are replicated onto two identical plates and incubated at 2 diff temps 23- mutant cells proliferate and form a colony at the permissive temp 36- mutant cells fait to proliferate and from a colony at the non permissive temp selection is often used by geneticists to isolate rare mutants- especially useful with microbes, after mutagenesis
example of selection using temp and mutagenised cells
mutagenised cells proliferate at 23 degrees - colonies are replicated onto two identical plates and incubated at 2 diff temps 23- mutant cells proliferate and form a colony at the permissive temp 36- mutant cells fait to proliferate and from a colony at the non permissive temp selection is often used by geneticists to isolate rare mutants- especially useful with microbes, after mutagenesis

frameshift mutations are likely to
give a non-functional protein
what can be used to study essential function
conditional lethal mutant
mutation is random but..
its frequency may be increased by environmental. genetic factors
conditional lethal mutants
Conditional lethal mutations are changes in the sequence of genetic material, which kill the organism, but only when it faces certain environmental conditions; under other conditions, the organism can survive and grow. Such mutations are useful genetic markers for a variety of essential genes.
replication slippage can involve …
slippage on new strand
or
template strand
slippage on new strand
- newly synthesised strand slips
- causes an extra nucleotide to be copied on the new strand

slippage on the tempate strand
slippage on the template strand results in the new strand havingone nucleotide ommitted