What is a silent mutation?

What is a silent mutation?

• A. A mutation that alters an amino acid sequence
• B. A mutation that has no effect on protein function
• C. A mutation that introduces a premature stop codon
• D. A mutation that results in a frameshift

Answer: (B)

A silent mutation is defined as a change in the DNA sequence that does not alter the amino acid sequence of the protein produced. This usually occurs due to the redundancy in the genetic code, where multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. For example, if a codon that originally codes for a specific amino acid is substituted with another codon that also codes for that same amino acid, the resulting protein remains unchanged. As a result, silent mutations typically do not have any functional impact on the protein, allowing it to perform its biological role without disruption. In contrast, mutations that change the amino acid sequence (such as those that introduce a premature stop codon or result in a frameshift) are likely to affect the final protein product significantly, potentially leading to loss of function or other detrimental effects. Thus, the defining characteristic of a silent mutation is that it has no effect on the functionality of the protein, confirming the correctness of the chosen answer.

A silent mutation is defined as a change in the DNA sequence that does not alter the amino acid sequence of the protein produced. This usually occurs due to the redundancy in the genetic code, where multiple codons can encode the same amino acid.

For example, if a codon that originally codes for a specific amino acid is substituted with another codon that also codes for that same amino acid, the resulting protein remains unchanged. As a result, silent mutations typically do not have any functional impact on the protein, allowing it to perform its biological role without disruption.

In contrast, mutations that change the amino acid sequence (such as those that introduce a premature stop codon or result in a frameshift) are likely to affect the final protein product significantly, potentially leading to loss of function or other detrimental effects. Thus, the defining characteristic of a silent mutation is that it has no effect on the functionality of the protein, confirming the correctness of the chosen answer.