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Can anyone tell me what the correct name is for a neutral mutation to a protein that occurs when that mutation becomes "locked in" due to a subsequent mutation?

For example: mutation A is neutral initially and can be reversed with no deleterious effects, but after mutation B, the reversal of mutation A would now become deleterious. What is the correct terminology for a mutation of A's type?

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  • $\begingroup$ silent mutation? $\endgroup$ – Always Confused Sep 7 '16 at 9:07
  • $\begingroup$ Silent mutations are mutations in DNA that do not significantly alter the phenotype of the organism in which they occur. Silent mutations can occur in non-coding regions (outside of genes or within introns), or they may occur within exons. $\endgroup$ – com.prehensible Dec 7 '16 at 6:10
  • $\begingroup$ Well, what will happen is proceeding to fixation if A does, but I don't think that really answers your question. The answer could be here. $\endgroup$ – Anon Jan 6 '17 at 1:40
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Mutation A is a suppressor of Mutation B. The Wikipedia article on the topic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressor_mutation) mostly describes situations where Mutation A occurs after B and reverses B's deleterious effects, but the principle is the same.

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