Mutations

Front

What is a mutation?

Back

A change in the DNA sequence.

Front

What is a frameshift mutation?

Back

A mutation that occurs when nucleotides are inserted or deleted from the DNA sequence, altering the reading frame.

Front

What are insertions in the context of mutations?

Back

Insertions are mutations where one or more nucleotides are added to the DNA sequence.

Front

What are deletions in the context of mutations?

Back

Deletions are mutations where one or more nucleotides are removed from the DNA sequence.

Front

What is a gene?

Back

A segment of DNA that encodes for a protein.

Front

What is the effect of a substitution mutation?

Back

A substitution mutation replaces one nucleotide with another, potentially altering one amino acid in a protein.

Front

What is the significance of codons?

Back

Codons are sequences of three nucleotides that correspond to specific amino acids in protein synthesis.

Front

Why are frameshift mutations often more harmful than substitution mutations?

Back

They change all of the codons from the mutation on down the line, which changes the amino acid sequence.

Front

What is the role of DNA in mutations?

Back

DNA carries the genetic information, and mutations are changes in this sequence that can affect gene function.

Front

What is the difference between a gene and a chromosome?

Back

A gene is a segment of DNA that encodes for a protein, while a chromosome is a long DNA molecule that contains many genes.