Final answer:
A nonsense mutation is a genetic change that converts a codon coding for an amino acid into a stop codon, which can lead to the production of a truncated, non-functional protein.
Step-by-step explanation:
A change in the sequence that leads to the formation of a stop codon is known as a nonsense mutation. A nonsense mutation changes a codon that specifies an amino acid into a stop codon. This halts the translation of the mRNA into a protein prematurely, potentially leading to a truncated and often non-functional protein product. Other types of mutations, like silent mutations, may not change the amino acid sequence, while missense mutations result in a different amino acid being placed at a specific position. Frameshift mutations cause a shift in the genetic reading frame and can also result in the insertion of a stop codon.