Questions tagged [mutations]
A change in an organism's genomic sequence.
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Is it possible to buy a DNA sample with a specific mutation?
I would like to test a genotyping method (ARMS) on a specific human snp (heterozygous or homozygous ).
Unfortunally, we do not have any dna samples with the mutation.
Is it possible to buy somewhere a ...
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22 views
What is the average number of alleles per gene we have today?
Yesterday I was making some calculations, and I started to wonder the average number of alleles per gene the human species have today. The best question would be how many mutations per base or how ...
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Who invented dN/dS?
I am writing a paper, and I want to refer to the original paper that coined the term dN/dS (or Ka/Ks for that matter). I have found early works on dN and dS (like Miyata and Yasunaga 1980), but cannot ...
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4answers
85 views
Why do mutations not take place in mRNA of higher eukaryotes?
Is it because it is too short-lived to be mutated? Both DNA and RNA are nucleic acids so how is mRNA protected? RNA viruses undergo mutations to evolve so I guess it is not immune to mutations
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How many kangaroos would you have to add to a northern climate before they could start adapting to it? [closed]
If some enterprising billionaire wanted to introduce Kangaroos to a northern climate such as the northern boreal forest by Fort McMurray in Alberta, would it be possible for the Kangaroo's to survive ...
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1answer
39 views
Non-coding DNA as a protection to deleterious mutations
We know that most part of our genome (at least 75 percent) is non-coding DNA. Can it be a way to protect the organism from mutations in important genes, such as the ones which control cellular cycle, ...
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36 views
Is UV radiation more likely to cause mutations during mitosis?
According to Life: The Science of Biology (10th edition), UV radiation might cause the formation of pyrimidine dimers, which are the primary cause of skin cancer in humans.
Are mutations more likely ...
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1answer
107 views
Explain to a layperson how cigarettes smoke might cause cancer
I have a very intelligent friend who is a light smoker, and also a Biology layperson.
I wondered whether understanding exactly how cigarettes smoke can cause cancer, might encourage him to smoke less ...
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57 views
Meaning of letter “c” in description of mutation: “Homozygous c.195C>G; (p.Cys65Trp)”
In a table in a paper titled Cerebral folate deficiency: Analytical tests and differential diagnosis, there's the following description of a mutation in a patient:
Homozygous c.195C>G; (p.Cys65Trp)...
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1answer
72 views
Emergence of novel protein interactions by mutation of amino acids
Are there any examples of proteins that, without coming from a recent duplication event, underwent a mutation(s) that caused it to have a novel interaction with a new ligand, substrate, other protein ...
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2answers
171 views
Are Males the main evolutionary tool for production of genetic variation necessary for evolution?
What I'm saying here is just a personal reflection, that might turn to be gravely erroneous, actually I'm asking that because I didn't see it presented elsewhere.
Evolution is propelled by two ...
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1answer
81 views
Can threat to survival increase mutation rates in germline cells?
Can stress that is related to a threat of survival of a population of animals or plants in some environment, like due to hunger, thirst, fear from predators, etc..; results in an increase in average ...
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Is there a known mutation of an insertion type that prevents being infected by a virus?
Recently there was big news about the mutation CCR5 delta 32, that prevents HIV from infecting white blood cells, that was a deletion type of a mutation.
Do we know of an insertion type of mutation ...
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1answer
64 views
How does bonding between non-complementary bases occur?
My teacher told me that when DNA polymerase makes an error (roughly every 10 million nucleotides?) that if, for example, it matches an A with a G that the error remains and is the main cause of point ...
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1answer
44 views
Does the mutation CCR5-delta 32 increase the genetic info?
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,...
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2answers
278 views
If bacterial resistance randomly occur, then why limit broad-spectrum antibiotic use?
If there is importance to study some discipline, then one of the main matters is its applications, so besides the primary goal of knowing the truth of the matter regarding what that discipline is ...
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1answer
85 views
Is evolution theory falsifiable by whether mutations result in a loss or gain of genetic information? [closed]
If I understand the theory correctly, evolution revolves around the process of adaptation of a being to its environment which results in the increment of survival and reproduction chances for that ...
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2answers
83 views
How do transgenic transformations cause off-target phenotypes?
I read that transgene insertions can cause off-target mutations that result in a phenotype being overly ascribed to the transgene, e.g. the increase of lifespan being ascribed to Sir2 overexpression (...
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73 views
How do mutations with very little fitness benefit get fixed?
I have one little issue with evolutionary theory that I have not been able to understand.
Suppose genetic mutations happen from generation to generation. Nevertheless, from one generation to the next ...
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2answers
382 views
Are STOP codons impacted by base insertion or deletion mutation?
I am learning about base insertion and deletion mutations. An example in my textbook is given below.
GUU CCA CAU AUC.
So if there is an insertion (of guanine):
GUU GCC ACA UAU C_ _ (there will be a ...
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4answers
4k views
Are mutations a source of genetic variation?
Here is a question from the book SAT II Success Biology E/M (where the SAT is the exam taken by the American high school students):
Which of the following statements is true about mutations?
(A) ...
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1answer
177 views
Is transition more common than transversion during the evolution of duplicated genes?
Transitions are base mutations of purine to purine (A <-> G) or pyrimidine to pyrimidine (C <-> T). Transversions are purine to pyrimidine or vice versa (A <-> C, A <-> T, G <-> C, G &...
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1answer
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About Frameshift Mutation
I am coding a DNA translater, based on the homosapiens genome, & i knowing that the data provided from NCBI is surely not 100% precise (there may be some base changes / removes etc...)
, & i ...
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Is there an existing database of mutation rates for mitochondrial loci?
I'm wondering if there exists a database of mutation rates (transitions and transversions) for both mitochondrial loci (such as cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)).
Due to the use of COI as a DNA ...
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2answers
88 views
How having sickle cell trait would provide resistance to malarial parasites?
It's mentioned in my textbook that subjects with sickle cell trait develop resistance to malaria. I've read a few research papers predisposing involvement of macrophages and papers asserting ...
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1answer
53 views
Why is the relative expression in qPCR so low?
When analyzing different mutations through qPCR I found the $2^{-\Delta\Delta ct}$ value for each mutation. All the mutation have similar values compared to the wild type gene, however one of the ...
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How diverse are the sperm cells of an individual male due to random mutations?
Due to the sheer number of sperm cells in an individual and the rate of mutations, are they likely to be incredibly diverse and encompass most of what we see across our species? For instance would it ...
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2answers
98 views
For long term survival of a species in a harsh environment which is more important-mutation or evolution?
The environment is the ultimate cause of population stabilization. Considering the environment to turn harsh for the survival of a species.How to adapt better to this change-by evolution or by ...
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1answer
99 views
Will humans ever evolve to cope with the rising temperature of our planet? [closed]
I am a complete layman of this field(Biology).I went through an article about global temperature rise and i wanted to ask this question.
Federal science agencies announced Wednesday that 2016 was ...
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1answer
54 views
How much generation of hamster's family it takes to get first bad mutations [closed]
So if I have two humsters and they start to reproduce themselfs then how much generations of hamster's family it takes to get first bad mutations?
The info here does not help to find answer https://...
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1answer
118 views
Neutral genetic mutations in eukaryotic cells [closed]
Why are most mutations in eukaryotic cells neutral? i.e. have no effect on the phenotype.
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1answer
103 views
Why are not both alleles knocked out at the same time in knock out mouse?
I was reading this little 'article' about homologous recombination and knockout mouse. According to this article you first remove embryonic stem cells from a gray-fur blastocyst, then insert the ...
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3answers
960 views
What is the difference between silent and synonymous mutations?
Several sources all caution that silent mutations and synonymous substitutions are not the same thing and should not be confused. But they seem to draw different actual distinctions between the terms:
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Insertion of an additional base at start codon make the protein still functional?
So the question is if:
a deletion of a codon for the amino acid lysine (AAG) is more or less likely to cause nonfunctionality of the protein than:
Insertion of an additional base (C) within the ...
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4answers
136 views
Why does DNA mutate?
I just read that pregnancy in space would be super dangerous because - among other reasons - of a higher risk of mutations due to radiation. This made me wonder: why does the DNA in organisms mutate? ...
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1answer
823 views
How many possible human genotypes are there that produce distinct phenotypes?
This and this Quora question ask how many unique human genotypes are possible. The answers take the combinatorial approach of raising the 4 possible base pairs to a power which is some appreciable ...
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2answers
302 views
DNA replication during Mitosis
I am a bit confused.
During Meiosis, DNA is replicated to form a cell with half the DNA and likely to have variations.
But since the replication process of meiosis and mitosis are the same, why do DNA ...
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1answer
157 views
Are mutations the cause of alleles?
For example, some leopards have a mutation which causes black fur. So Black fur and normal fur colour (orange-white) are both alternate forms of the same gene, right? So does that mean that mutations ...
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2answers
51 views
Mutations in organisms
I was researching mutations and came across an interesting question:
Do mutations occur in the DNA or mRNA of an organism? Is this more opinion that science?
Thanks in advance!
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1answer
33 views
How is single nucleotide polymorphism denoted?
Currently I'm studying an article on TERT promoter mutations in human melanoma and find myself unfamiliar with included denotations,I would appreciate it if someone could explain to me what C228T in ...
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2answers
2k views
Why are tumor suppressor genes recessive?
In my Intro. to Biochemistry course, we have been studying cancer. The professor has pointed out that tumor suppressor genes are "recessive" while proto-oncogenes are "dominant". Since only one ...
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1answer
642 views
What is the opposite of a mutation (the regular state)?
What is the term, if there is one, to describe the natural state of a gene? The one single word to describe it, just like mutation is the one single word do describe a deviation from that state.
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2answers
140 views
Can mutation rate be selected for?
Can the mutability of DNA be selected for in a population? I don’t mean selection for the phenotype that is the result of a mutation. Rather, can the rate of mutations in a population be increased by ...
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3answers
55 views
How come our thyroid glands don't suffer awful mutations (or do they)?
I was listening to a lecture by my Biology professor and he said that the thyroid gland contains radioactive Iodine which can break down and create reactive Oxygen species (because ionizing radiation ...
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3answers
596 views
Are the changes required to produce genetically manipulated organisms (GMOS) considered to be mutations
By definition, are mutations required to be natural, or are synthetic lab-induced genetic changes considered mutations too? Furthermore, are genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs) considered forced ...
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1answer
111 views
What is functional dissection?
Reading [1] I found the sentence:
Consistently, functional dissection of mouse and human wild-type and mutant RAS isogenic leukemia cells demonstrated induction of methotrexate resistance but also ...
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1answer
47 views
Importance of germline and somatic genomic mutations to the purpose of treatment in cancer
Is there a hierarchy in the sets of genomic mutations (somatic and germline) to the purpose of treatment in cancer?
Can they be considered at the same level in the context of targeted therapy or are ...
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2answers
1k views
Are mutations random?
The following claim
Mutations are random
or just the use of the expression
Random mutations
are very common among lay people.
The claim is very common among lay people. The claim is often ...
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2answers
403 views
How can just random mutations explain mimicry? [closed]
I have been reading this article on drug resistance which explained that how random mutations in a bacterial colony can lead to development of drug resistance among some organisms in that colony.
A ...
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1answer
2k views
Why does chromosome inversion happen?
I read that chromosome inversion is a type of genetic mutation.
Why does inversion happen? What is the purpose?
I also read that if genes do not match up during cross over between inverted ...
