Mutations Flashcards
Define a gene mutation
are changes to the base sequence or quantity of DNA within a gene or section of DNA.
When do gene mutations occur?
spontaneously during the process of DNA replication
What is a mutagenic agent?
a chemical, physical or biological agent that causes an increase in mutations
What is an example mutagenic agent?
UV light
Name the types of mutation
Addition Deletion Substitution Inversion Duplication Translocation
Define an Addition mutation
Addition of one or more nucleotides
Define a Deletion mutation
Removal of one or more nucleotides
Define a Substitution mutation
A nucleotide is replaced by a different nucleotide
Define an Inversion mutation
A sequence of bases is separated and then
reattached in the inverse order
Define a Duplication mutation
One or multiple bases are repeated
Define a Translocation mutation
A piece of DNA breaks of and doesn’t reattach to
itself or its homologous pair.
What is a silent mutation?
the mutation will have no effect on protein structure due to the genetic code being degenerate
How would mutation lead to an unfunctional protein?
Mutations such as insertions and deletions can cause frameshifts, changing all the codons and amino acids downstream from the mutation
When may mutations create functional proteins?
mutations may only affect a single codon, changing a single amino acid in a protein, therefore the protein may remain functional.
