Point mutation

File:Point mutations-en.png

Illustration of three types of point mutations.

A point mutation is a single base substitution.<ref>

What is a mutation?(link). {{{website}}}. University of Texas, El Passo.

</ref> It is the smallest type of mutation possible.

In a point mutation, either:

1. a single base nucleotide is changed for another nucleotide of the genetic material (normally DNA),<ref>

Glossary: point mutation(link). {{{website}}}. Rosalind.

</ref> or

1. a single base pair is inserted or deleted.<ref>

How DNA changes affect phenotype(link). '. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

</ref>

A nonsense mutation is a point mutation in a DNA sequence that leads to an early stop codon.<ref>Eldon D Enger; Frederick C Ross; David B Bailey, Concepts in Biology, 12th Edition (London: McGraw-Hill, 2007), p. 158</ref> This appears as a nonsense codon in the transcribed mRNA. Most of the time, the protein that is translated from this mRNA does not work.

References

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