17.

Question

A DNA mutation results in a protein that is the same as the initial protein created before the mutation took place. Which statement BEST explains this outcome?
A.Only mutations that occur at the chromosomal level change the protein function.
B.One amino acid substitution never affects protein synthesis.
c.Different codons can lead to the same amino acid, so some mutations do not affect the protein created.
D.Amino acids have similar functions, so their corresponding proteins are unaffected by all mutations.

Answer 1

The statement that BEST explains the outcome is:

C. Different codons can lead to the same amino acid, so some mutations do not affect the protein created.

This phenomenon is known as "codon redundancy" or "degeneracy of the genetic code," where multiple codons can code for the same amino acid. Therefore, even if a mutation occurs in the DNA sequence, it may still result in the same amino acid being incorporated into the protein, leading to no change in the protein's function.