Problem 8 A point mutation occurs in the m... [FREE SOLUTION]

Chapter 19: Problem 8

A point mutation occurs in the middle of the coding sequence for a gene. Which types of mutations-silent, missense, nonsense, and frameshift-would be most likely to disrupt protein function and which would be least likely?

Short Answer

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From least to most disruptive in protein function: silent mutations, missense mutations, nonsense mutations and frameshift mutations.

Step by step solution

Explanation of Silent Mutations

Silent mutations are changes in DNA that do not cause a change in the protein's amino acid sequence. They occur when the changed nucleotide still codes for the same amino acid, due to the redundancy in the genetic code. Therefore, silent mutations are unlikely to disrupt protein function.

Explanation of Missense Mutations

Missense mutations are changes in one DNA base pair that result in the substitution of one amino acid for another in the protein made by a gene. The severity of this type of mutation can vary greatly. It can either render the protein nonfunctional if a critical region is affected, or have no effect if the substituted amino acid behaves similarly to the original.

Explanation of Nonsense Mutations

Nonsense mutations are changes in DNA that introduce a premature stop codon into the DNA sequence. This halts protein synthesis prematurely, leading to a shortened, and likely nonfunctional, protein.

Explanation of Frameshift Mutations

Frameshift mutations occur when one or more nucleotides are inserted or deleted from the DNA sequence. This shifts the 'reading frame' of the genetic code, altering every subsequent codon and severely disrupting the protein's amino acid sequence and function.

Ranking of Mutation Types by Severity

Based on the descriptions, we can arrange the types of mutations least to most disruptive: silent mutations are the least disruptive as they cause no change in the protein, followed by missense mutations which can have variable effects depending on the specific amino acid change. Nonsense mutations and frameshift mutations are the most disruptive as they usually render the protein nonfunctional.

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91影视

A point mutation occurs in the middle of the coding sequence for a gene. Which types of mutations-silent, missense, nonsense, and frameshift-would be most likely to disrupt protein function and which would be least likely?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Explanation of Silent Mutations

Explanation of Missense Mutations

Explanation of Nonsense Mutations

Explanation of Frameshift Mutations

Ranking of Mutation Types by Severity

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