Question
Which of the following mutations would be most likely to have a harmful effect on an organism?(1 point)
A. a deletion of 3 bases near the center of a gene
B. there is not enough information to know whether a mutation would be harmful
C. a substitution of a thymine for an adenine
D. all mutations have a harmful effect on organisms
A. a deletion of 3 bases near the center of a gene
B. there is not enough information to know whether a mutation would be harmful
C. a substitution of a thymine for an adenine
D. all mutations have a harmful effect on organisms
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine which mutation is most likely to have a harmful effect on an organism, we can analyze the options:
A. A deletion of 3 bases near the center of a gene - A deletion of three bases would result in the loss of one amino acid in the protein sequence, which can potentially disrupt the protein's function, but its impact would depend on the specific context and function of the protein.
B. There is not enough information to know whether a mutation would be harmful - This suggests that the effects of mutations can vary widely depending on factors like the type of mutation, its location, and the biological context.
C. A substitution of a thymine for an adenine - This type of mutation is a point mutation and may or may not result in a different amino acid (depending on the codon), leading to a potentially neutral, harmful, or beneficial effect depending on the gene involved.
D. All mutations have a harmful effect on organisms - This is not accurate, as some mutations can be neutral or even beneficial.
Considering these options, the mutation most likely to have a harmful effect is:
**A. a deletion of 3 bases near the center of a gene**
This is because it would result in a frameshift alteration in the reading frame beyond the amino acid loss, potentially disrupting the entire protein's structure and function.
A. A deletion of 3 bases near the center of a gene - A deletion of three bases would result in the loss of one amino acid in the protein sequence, which can potentially disrupt the protein's function, but its impact would depend on the specific context and function of the protein.
B. There is not enough information to know whether a mutation would be harmful - This suggests that the effects of mutations can vary widely depending on factors like the type of mutation, its location, and the biological context.
C. A substitution of a thymine for an adenine - This type of mutation is a point mutation and may or may not result in a different amino acid (depending on the codon), leading to a potentially neutral, harmful, or beneficial effect depending on the gene involved.
D. All mutations have a harmful effect on organisms - This is not accurate, as some mutations can be neutral or even beneficial.
Considering these options, the mutation most likely to have a harmful effect is:
**A. a deletion of 3 bases near the center of a gene**
This is because it would result in a frameshift alteration in the reading frame beyond the amino acid loss, potentially disrupting the entire protein's structure and function.