Types of Mutation
•Mutations can range from single
base substitutions,
through insertions
and deletions
of single or multiple bases to loss or gain of entire chromosomes. Base
substitutions are most prevalent.
•
•A substitution is the replacement of a single
nucleotide by another. These are the most common type of mutation.
•If the substitution involves
replacement by the same type of nucleotide—a pyrimidine for a pyrimidine (C for
T or vice versa) or a purine for a purine (A for G or vice versa); this is
termed a transition.
•Substitution of a pyrimidine by a
purine or vice versa
is termed a transversion.
•Transitions occur more frequently
than transversionsDeletions and Insertions
•A Deletion involves the loss of one or more
nucleotides.
•An Insertion involves the addition of one or
more nucleotides into a gene.
•Frameshift mutation: If deletion or insertion occurs in coding sequences and involves one,
two, or more nucleotides that are not a multiple of three, the reading frame will be
disrupted.
•Larger deletions or insertions
may result in partial or whole gene deletions and may arise through unequal
crossover between repeat sequences.
•
•
•Structural Effects of Mutations on the Protein
•Mutations can also be subdivided
into two main groups according to the effect on the polypeptide sequence of the
encoded protein, being either:
• Synonymous or silent mutation: If a mutation does not alter
the polypeptide product of the gene. A single base-pair substitution,
particularly if it occurs in the third position of a codon because of the
degeneracy of the genetic code, will often result in another triplet that codes
for the same amino acid with no alteration in the properties of the resulting
protein.
•Non-synonymous mutation: If a mutation leads to an alteration in the encoded polypeptide. The alteration of the amino
acid sequence of the protein product of a gene is likely to result in abnormal
function, which is usually associated with disease, or lethality, which has an
obvious selective disadvantage.
•Non-synonymous mutations can
occur in one of three main ways:
–Missense
–None-sense