Mutations

• What is a mutation?

  • A change in the DNA base sequence of a gene
• What are the 2 types of mutagenic agents?


  • Carcinogens and ionizing or high enery radiation
• What are some carcinogens?

  
  

  • Mustard gas, tobacco smoke and peroxides
• What are some examples of ionizing radiation?

  • Alpha and beta radiation
• What is an example of high energy radiation?

  • UV
• What is an indel mutation?

  • The insertion or deletion of a DNA base in the coding, this causes frame shift in the whole DNA strand and could code for a different sequence of amino acids that result in a different or non-functional protein 
• What is a substitution mutation?

  • One DNA base is substituted for another but the amount of bases stay the same so there is no frameshift
  • May code for the same amino acid and have no change or cause a non functional protein
• What is a silent mutation?

  • A mutation that codes for the same amino acid so does not alter the protein structure
• What do bad mutations do?

  • Code for different amino acids that alter the tertiary structure of the protein