Question

a gene mutation is shown below
original mutated
tacggtaat tacggc aat
which specific type of mutation is shown above?
part 2
describe the significance the gene mutation above has on the protein produced and justify your answer.

Explanation:

For the first part:

• Compare the original (TACGGTAAT) and mutated (TACGGC AAT) DNA sequences.
• Notice that an extra 'G' is inserted between the fourth and fifth nucleotides in the mutated sequence. This is an insertion mutation.

For the second part:

• Insertion mutations can cause a frameshift.
• Since DNA is read in triplets (codons) during translation, adding a nucleotide shifts the reading frame.
• This will likely change all subsequent codons and the amino - acid sequence of the protein, potentially leading to a non - functional or severely altered protein.

Answer:

1. Insertion mutation.
2. The mutation is significant as it causes a frameshift. Justification: Inserting a nucleotide changes the reading frame of the DNA. Since codons are read in groups of three, this alteration will change all subsequent codons. As a result, the amino - acid sequence of the protein will be drastically changed from the point of mutation onwards, likely leading to a non - functional protein.