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Which of these mutations do you think would have the worst effect on the function of

the protein?
an insertion or
deletion near
the end of a
gene
an insertion or
deletion at the
beginning of
an insertion at
the middle of
a nonsense
mutation at the
end of the gene
a missense
mutation
the gene
the gene

User Henny
by
3.2k points

2 Answers

1 vote

Final answer:

Frameshift mutations caused by indels that change the reading frame often result in a nonfunctional protein. Nonsense mutations lead to truncated proteins and are generally harmful, more so if they occur toward the beginning of the gene. Missense mutations can vary in their effect, potentially allowing partial function of the protein.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assessing which mutation might have the worst effect on the function of a protein, it's important to understand how each type could impact the protein's structure and function. A frameshift mutation caused by an insertion or deletion (indel) that is not in multiples of three will change the reading frame, resulting in every amino acid downstream of the mutation being altered, which typically creates a nonfunctional protein.

A nonsense mutation converts an amino acid codon into a stop codon, resulting in a premature end to the protein. The closer this mutation is to the beginning of the gene, the more truncated and likely nonfunctional the protein will be.

In contrast, a missense mutation changes just one amino acid in the protein, and its effects can vary. Sometimes, these proteins retain partial function, depending on the importance of the changed amino acid. An insertion or deletion near the end of a gene would likely have a lesser effect, especially if it is in multiples of three, as this may not affect the reading frame significantly.

User Ozzymado
by
3.1k points
5 votes

Answer:

Both are harmful for the organism in case of point mutation. In case of deletion or insertion of a particular fragment of the gene, deletion could be more harmful than insertion, because the deleted fragment of the gene will never be replaced at exact size and exact position of the disabled gene.

Step-by-step explanation:

hope it helps

User Andrew Spott
by
2.8k points