Question

What is the consequence of a gene mutation that results in a UGA codon in the reading frame of its mRNA?

A) Premature termination of translation
B) Incorporation of a different amino acid
C) No effect on translation
D) Frameshift mutation

Answer 1

A UGA codon resulting from a gene mutation leads to premature termination of translation, known as a nonsense mutation, producing a potentially non-functional protein.

Step-by-step explanation:

The consequence of a gene mutation that results in a UGA codon in the reading frame of its mRNA is A) Premature termination of translation. This type of mutation is known as a nonsense mutation. The UGA codon is one of the three stop codons, which signals the end of protein synthesis. This means that when the ribosome encounters a UGA codon due to a mutation, it will terminate the translation process, potentially leading to a truncated and often non-functional protein, as it ends the amino acid chain prematurely.