What happens when a gene is altered?

When a gene mutation occurs, the nucleotides are in the wrong order which means the coded instructions are wrong and faulty proteins are made or control switches are changed. The body can’t function as it should. Mutations can be inherited from one or both parents.

Can you have a mutation and still produce the correct protein?

While mutations always change the DNA sequence, they do not always cause a change in the resulting protein or an obvious effect on the organism. This can occur because most amino acids can be coded by two or more different codons.

Can genes be altered by mutations?

A gene mutation is a permanent change in the DNA sequence of a gene. Mutations can occur in a single base pair or in a large segment of a chromosome and even span multiple genes….Mutations.

Mutation Type	Description	Effect
Duplication	DNA is abnormally copied at least once	Protein function may be altered

How does a mutation that changes DNA cause a protein to be built incorrectly?

A missense mutation is a mistake in the DNA which results in the wrong amino acid being incorporated into a protein because of change, that single DNA sequence change, results in a different amino acid codon which the ribosome recognizes. Changes in amino acid can be very important in the function of a protein.

Which characteristic of a protein may change during a DNA mutation?

The outcome of a frameshift mutation is complete alteration of the amino acid sequence of a protein. This alteration occurs during translation because ribosomes read the mRNA strand in terms of codons, or groups of three nucleotides. These groups are called the reading frame.

How does a mutation in DNA affect the shape of a protein?

Point mutations can cause serious changes to an organism if they change the way a protein works. A mutation in DNA alters the mRNA, which in turn can alter the amino acid chain. A base substitution may have three different effects on an organism’s protein.

How might a point mutation in a gene affect the resulting protein?

Point mutations can have several effects on the behavior and reproduction of a protein depending on where the mutation occurs in the amino acid sequence of the protein. If the mutation occurs in the region of the gene that is responsible for coding for the protein, the amino acid may be altered.

Which step during protein synthesis does a mutation occur?

In the first step, called transcription, the genetic code in DNA is copied by RNA. In the second step, called translation, the genetic code in RNA is read to make a protein. A mutation is a change in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. Environmental causes of mutations are called mutagens.