Topic 6 - Mutations

Question 1

What is the mutation?

Answer 1

A mutation is a random change in an organisms DNA

Question 2

Why can mutations be problematic?

Answer 2

Some mutations can seriously affect a protein, coding for an altered protein with a change in shape, affecting its ability to perform a function. If there is a mutation in the non-coding part it can affect how genes are expressed

Question 3

Why can mutations to a gene sometimes lead to change sin the protein that it codes for?

Answer 3

Mutations change the sequence of DNA bases in a gene, which produces a genetic variant. As the sequence of DNA bases codes for the sequence of amino acids that make up a protein, mutations cna lead to change sin that protein

Question 4

What are insertion mutations

Answer 4

Insertions is when a new base is inserted into the DNA base sequence where it shouldn’t be. It changes the way groups of three bases are read and can have a knock-on-effect on bases further in the sequence so can change more than one amino acid

Question 5

What are deletion mutations

Answer 5

Deletions are where a random base is deleted from the DNA base sequence

Question 6

What are substitution mutations?

Answer 6

Substitution mutations are when a random base in the DNA base sequence is changed to a different base