Substitution

Mutation: Substitution

What is Substitution?

Substitution is a mutation that occurs when a base of a nucleotide is switched out for a another one.

What can Substitution do?

• change a codon to one that codes for a different amino acid and cause a small shift in the protein produced. For example, sickle cell anemia is caused by a substitution which changes an amino acid in the protein produced.

• change a codon to the same codon causing no change in the amino acid sequence which are called silent mutations. For example, Adenine is switched out for Adenine.

• change an amino-acid-coding codon to a single "stop" codon and cause an incomplete protein. This can have serious effects since the incomplete protein probably won't function. This is thus the worst case of substitution. To emphasize this more clearly, a codon UAU has one of its bases changed so its now UAG which means "stop".

This is the least fatal mutation out of all of the mutations which are insertion and deletion

Reflection

Mutations explain how disorders or cancer develops perfectly and to know that there is a least deadly kind of mutation eases the paranoia.

Citation

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/mutations_03