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My understanding is that the mutation CCR5-delta 32 caused the CCR5 co-receptor to be of a different shape, resulting HIV virus to not be able to attach itself to it.

My question, this shape/mutation, is it a result of a more or less information in the genetic information of the person with the mutation as compared to one without it?

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    $\begingroup$ your going to have to clarify what you mean by "more or less information in the genetic information" and "increase the genetic info" $\endgroup$ – De Novo Mar 19 at 15:55
  • $\begingroup$ "Increasing genetic information" is a creationist buzzphrase, most recently popularized by "Intelligent Design" fraud Michael Behe in his most recent book; Behe claims that it's impossible for mutations to add information, only subtracting it, and that therefore evolution is impossible. $\endgroup$ – iayork Mar 20 at 12:00
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Whether or not a mutation changes the 'amount' (meaning the size of the genome) of genetic information present in an individual depends on the type of mutation and is independent on which gene is affected.

In general there are 3 types of mutations:

  • point mutation: this is the change of one base pair to another (e.g. A to C). The total amount of information/the size of the genome is unchanged.
  • deletion: this means that a certain stretch of DNA is missing, likely disrupting what was there before. The total amount of information/the size of the genome is reduced.
  • insertion: this means additional DNA was added at a certain place in the DNA and probably disrupts something that was there before. The total amount of information/the size of the genome is increased.

The CCR5-delta32 mutation is caused by the deletion of a few (only 32) base pairs, however this deletion causes a frame shift in the gene and therefore leads to an early stop codon, which renders the protein inactive.

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