Final answer:
A silent mutation is a type of point mutation that does not affect gene expression because it results in a codon that still encodes the same amino acid, maintaining the original amino acid sequence of the protein.
Step-by-step explanation:
A silent mutation is the type of point mutation that would have no effect on gene expression. A silent mutation occurs when the changed mRNA codon still codes for the same amino acid as the original codon. For example, if the initial codon was 'AUG' and the mutated codon is 'AUC', both still code for the amino acid methionine, so there is no change in the protein product.
The type of point mutation that would have no effect on gene expression is a silent mutation. A silent mutation occurs when a single nucleotide is changed, but the new codon still codes for the same amino acid; hence, there is no change in the protein's amino acid sequence. This redundancy in the genetic code allows for certain mutations to be phenotypically 'silent' because of the multiple codons that encode a single amino acid. In contrast, missense mutations change one amino acid to another, possibly altering the protein function, while nonsense mutations introduce a premature stop codon, likely resulting in a nonfunctional protein. A frameshift mutation involves the insertion or deletion of a nucleotide that shifts the reading frame of the codons, which usually has a drastic effect on the protein produced.