Mutations

A specific part of a nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) experience a mutation that could lead to a different protein being produced. View the illustration below of DNA. Which part of the DNA experiences the mutation?

• The Sugar
• The Phosphate
• The Nitrogen base
• The entire nucleotide

Mutations can be harmful, helpful, or neutral in their effect. A silent mutation tends to have a neutral effect as it does not result in coding for a different amino acid. Using your mRNA codon chart, give an other mRNA codon that this CUU could mutate to and still code for leucine.

• CGA
• CUA
• CCA
• CCU

Which type of organism can experience a mutation? Select all that apply.

• Animals
• Archaea
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Plans

Sickle Cell Anemia is caused by a point mutation known as a substitution. What would the new amino acid sequence read if the FIRST T DNA base in the portion shown above experienced a mutation with a substitution of an A? (Use the codon wheel from the previous question)

• Proline - Valine - Glutamic Acid
• Glutamic Acid - Valine - Glutamic Acid
• Proline - Glutamic Acid
• Protein - Stop

A DNA sequence GCA ATG CAC is mutated and now reads CCA TGC AC. What type of mutation is this and what happens to the protein?

• An insertion mutation, causing a frameshift, which leads to a longer protien
• A nonsense mutation, causing a premature stop codon
• A deletion mutation, causing a frameshift, which leads to a shorter protien
• A silent mutation, causing no change to the protein

Mutations are random

• True
• False

Mutations can never be beneficial for an organism

• True
• False

Mutations can occur in both DNA and RNA, which are nucleic acids

• True
• False

Mutations can only occur during DNA replication in interphase

• True
• False

Not all genes code for proteins

• True
• False