The protein dystrophin contains 3684 amino acids - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 5 - 2022
Question 5
The protein dystrophin contains 3684 amino acids. A mutation in the dystrophin gene causes cells to produce a protein with 2428 amino acids.
Which type of mutation c... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The protein dystrophin contains 3684 amino acids - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 5 - 2022
Step 1
Analyze the change in protein length
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Answer
The dystrophin protein normally consists of 3684 amino acids, but the mutation leads to a protein with only 2428 amino acids. This represents a significant decrease in the protein length.
Step 2
Consider the types of mutations
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Answer
Nonsense Mutation: This type of mutation introduces a premature stop codon in the sequence, potentially leading to a truncated protein. This aligns with the reduction in the number of amino acids.
Duplication Mutation: This occurs when a portion of DNA is duplicated, which would not lead to a decrease in protein length.
Missense Mutation: This type results in a single amino acid change but does not necessarily affect the overall length of the protein.
Inversion Mutation: This involves segments of DNA being reversed, which would not cause a decrease in protein length either.
Step 3
Determine which mutation type fits the data
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Answer
Given the significant reduction from 3684 to 2428 amino acids, the most likely mutation type causing this is a Nonsense Mutation, as it can lead to the premature termination of protein synthesis.
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