Silent mutation
Silent mutation
A Silent mutation (pronunciation: /ˈsaɪlənt mjuːˈteɪʃən/) is a type of mutation that does not result in a change to the amino acid sequence of a protein.
Etymology
The term "silent mutation" is derived from the fact that these mutations are "silent" in that they do not alter the function or structure of the protein for which they code. The term "mutation" comes from the Latin mutatio, meaning "a changing".
Definition
Silent mutations are changes in the nucleotide sequence of a gene that do not alter the amino acid sequence of the protein produced by that gene. This is due to the genetic code being degenerate, meaning that multiple codons can code for the same amino acid.
Types
There are three types of silent mutations:
- Synonymous mutations: These are mutations in which the changed codon codes for the same amino acid.
- Noncoding DNA mutations: These are mutations that occur in noncoding regions of the DNA, such as introns or untranslated regions (UTRs).
- RNA secondary structure mutations: These are mutations that do not change the amino acid sequence, but may affect the secondary structure of the RNA molecule.
Effects
Although silent mutations do not change the amino acid sequence of a protein, they can still have effects on the organism. For example, they can affect gene expression, RNA splicing, and the speed of protein synthesis.
Related terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Silent mutation
- Wikipedia's article - Silent mutation
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