Question
Why is this a silent mutation?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
A silent mutation is a type of genetic mutation that does not result in a change to the amino acid sequence of a protein. These mutations typically occur in the DNA sequence of a gene but do not affect the functionality of the resulting protein. Here’s why they are classified as silent:
1. **Codon Redundancy**: The genetic code is degenerate, meaning that multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. For example, the amino acid leucine can be encoded by the codons UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, and CUG. A mutation that changes one codon to another codon that codes for the same amino acid is a silent mutation.
2. **No Functional Impact**: Since silent mutations do not alter the amino acid sequence, they typically do not affect the protein’s structure or function. This means that the protein produced remains unchanged, and cellular processes are not influenced by the mutation.
3. **Location**: Silent mutations can occur in exons (the coding regions of DNA) without altering the amino acid sequence. However, they can also occur in introns (non-coding regions) or in non-coding regions of the DNA, but those are specifically termed as silent mutations when they occur within coding sequences.
In summary, a mutation is called silent when it does not change the resulting protein's amino acid sequence, usually due to the redundancy in the genetic code.
1. **Codon Redundancy**: The genetic code is degenerate, meaning that multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. For example, the amino acid leucine can be encoded by the codons UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, and CUG. A mutation that changes one codon to another codon that codes for the same amino acid is a silent mutation.
2. **No Functional Impact**: Since silent mutations do not alter the amino acid sequence, they typically do not affect the protein’s structure or function. This means that the protein produced remains unchanged, and cellular processes are not influenced by the mutation.
3. **Location**: Silent mutations can occur in exons (the coding regions of DNA) without altering the amino acid sequence. However, they can also occur in introns (non-coding regions) or in non-coding regions of the DNA, but those are specifically termed as silent mutations when they occur within coding sequences.
In summary, a mutation is called silent when it does not change the resulting protein's amino acid sequence, usually due to the redundancy in the genetic code.