Textbook Question
A strain of E. coli is identified as having a null mutation of the RecA gene. What biological property do you expect to be absent in the mutant strain? What is the molecular basis for the missing property?
Ch. 11 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Homologous Recombination
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - The Molecular Basis of Heredity, Variation, and Evolution64
- Ch. 2 - Transmission Genetics144
- Ch. 3 - Cell Division and Chromosome Heredity81
- Ch. 4 - Gene Interaction87
- Ch. 5 - Genetic Linkage and Mapping in Eukaryotes103
- Ch. 6 - Genetic Analysis and Mapping in Bacteria and Bacteriophages73
- Ch. 7 - DNA Structure and Replication71
- Ch. 8 - Molecular Biology of Transcription and RNA Processing79
- Ch. 9 - The Molecular Biology of Translation110
- Ch. 10 - Eukaryotic Chromosome Abnormalities and Molecular Organization100
- Ch. 11 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Homologous Recombination86
- Ch. 12 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria and Bacteriophage90
- Ch. 13 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes38
- Ch. 14 - Analysis of Gene Function via Forward Genetics and Reverse Genetics72
- Ch. 15 - Recombinant DNA Technology and Its Applications69
- Ch. 16 - Genomics: Genetics from a Whole-Genome Perspective49
- Ch. 17 - Organelle Inheritance and the Evolution of Organelle Genomes27
- Ch. 18 - Developmental Genetics43
- Ch. 19 - Genetic Analysis of Quantitative Traits66
- Ch. 20 - Population Genetics and Evolution at the Population, Species, and Molecular Levels105
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172Not the one you use?Change textbook
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Sanders 3rd EditionCh. 11 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Homologous RecombinationProblem 14d
Sanders 3rd EditionCh. 11 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Homologous RecombinationProblem 14dChapter 11, Problem 14d
Several types of mutation are identified and described in the chapter. These include (1) promoter mutation, (2) splice site mutation, (3) missense mutation, (4) frameshift mutation, and 5) nonsense mutation. Match the following mutation descriptions with the type(s) of mutations listed above. More than one mutation type might match a description.
A mutation that produces a protein that is shorter than the wild-type protein but does not have any amino acid changes in the portion produced.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the problem: The question asks us to identify the type(s) of mutation that result in a protein shorter than the wild-type protein, without any amino acid changes in the portion of the protein that is produced.
Review the mutation types: (1) Promoter mutation affects transcription initiation, (2) Splice site mutation affects RNA splicing, (3) Missense mutation changes one amino acid, (4) Frameshift mutation alters the reading frame, and (5) Nonsense mutation introduces a premature stop codon.
Focus on the key description: The protein is shorter, which suggests that translation was terminated early. This aligns with a nonsense mutation, as it introduces a stop codon prematurely.
Verify that there are no amino acid changes in the portion of the protein produced: This confirms that the mutation does not alter the sequence of the translated portion, which is consistent with a nonsense mutation.
Conclude that the mutation described matches a nonsense mutation, as it produces a truncated protein without altering the amino acid sequence of the translated portion.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Nonsense Mutation
A nonsense mutation is a type of point mutation where a single nucleotide change results in a premature stop codon in the protein sequence. This leads to the production of a truncated protein that is shorter than the wild-type protein. Nonsense mutations can significantly affect protein function, often resulting in loss of activity or stability.
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Point Mutations
Frameshift Mutation
Frameshift mutations occur when nucleotides are inserted or deleted from the DNA sequence, causing a shift in the reading frame of the codons. This alteration can lead to a completely different translation from the original, often resulting in a nonfunctional protein. While frameshift mutations typically produce longer or shorter proteins, they can also lead to premature stop codons.
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Missense Mutation
A missense mutation is a type of mutation where a single nucleotide change results in the substitution of one amino acid for another in the protein sequence. While this can lead to a functional protein, it may also alter the protein's activity or stability. However, in the context of the question, a missense mutation would not produce a shorter protein without amino acid changes in the remaining sequence.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Several types of mutation are identified and described in the chapter. These include (1) promoter mutation, (2) splice site mutation, (3) missense mutation, (4) frameshift mutation, and 5) nonsense mutation. Match the following mutation descriptions with the type(s) of mutations listed above. More than one mutation type might match a description.
A mutation that produces about 5% of the wild-type amount of an mRNA.
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Textbook Question
A 1-mL sample of the bacterium E. coli is exposed to ultraviolet light. The sample is used to inoculate a 500-mL flask of complete medium that allows growth of all bacterial cells. The 500-mL culture is grown on the benchtop, and two equal-sized samples are removed and plated on identical complete-medium growth plates. Plate 1 is immediately wrapped in a dark cloth, but plate 2 is not covered. Both plates are left at room temperature for 36 hours and then examined. Plate 2 is seen to contain many more growing colonies than plate 1.
Thinking about DNA repair processes, how do you explain this observation?
Textbook Question
Several types of mutation are identified and described in the chapter. These include (1) promoter mutation, (2) splice site mutation, (3) missense mutation, (4) frameshift mutation, and 5) nonsense mutation. Match the following mutation descriptions with the type(s) of mutations listed above. More than one mutation type might match a description.
A mutation that produces a mutant protein that differs from the wild-type protein at one amino acid position.
Textbook Question
Several types of mutation are identified and described. These include (1) promoter mutation, (2) splice site mutation, (3) missense mutation, (4) frameshift mutation, and 5) nonsense mutation. Match the following mutation descriptions with the type(s) of mutations listed above. More than one mutation type might match a description.
A mutation that changes several amino acids in a protein and results in a protein that is shorter than the wild-type product.
Textbook Question
Several types of mutation are identified and described in the chapter. These include (1) promoter mutation, (2) splice site mutation, (3) missense mutation, (4) frameshift mutation, and 5) nonsense mutation. Match the following mutation descriptions with the type(s) of mutations listed above. More than one mutation type might match a description.
A null mutation that does not produce any functional protein product.