Question

Which of the following describes how 5-bromouracil might create a mutation?

a) Base Pair Substitution
b) Frameshift Mutation
c) Nonsense Mutation
d) Silent Mutation

Answer 1

5-bromouracil can cause a base pair substitution mutation, which may lead to a missense or nonsense mutation by changing the DNA sequence during replication.

Step-by-step explanation:

5-bromouracil can create a mutation through a process known as a base pair substitution. This compound is an analog of thymine, and when it is incorporated into DNA during replication, it can pair with guanine instead of adenine. This mismatch can lead to a permanent base pair change in subsequent replications. Specifically, if 5-bromouracil pairs with guanine, it can cause a transition mutation where a DNA sequence might change from an A-T base pair to a G-C base pair during replication, potentially resulting in a missense mutation if it leads to a different amino acid in the protein sequence, or a nonsense mutation if it creates a premature stop codon, terminating protein synthesis. It does not typically result in frameshift mutations or silent mutations, as it does not alter the reading frame or code for the same amino acid, respectively.