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TytoAlba95
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I got this question in an exam. Why do silent mutations always affect the third position of a codon? I have no clue about it.
SanjuktaGhosh said:I got this question in an exam. Why do silent mutations always affect the third position of a codon? I have no clue about it.
Because the first two bases are necessary to specify the type of amino acid to be encoded. And they are both the same base. It wouldn't be silent if it was one of the first two bases because then it would be deleterious. Only the third base can change and you can still encode the same amino acid.SanjuktaGhosh said:I got this question in an exam. Why do silent mutations always affect the third position of a codon? I have no clue about it.
A silent mutation is a change in a DNA sequence that does not result in a change in the amino acid sequence of a protein. This is because the genetic code is redundant, meaning that multiple codons can code for the same amino acid.
The third position in a codon refers to the third letter in a sequence of three nucleotides that make up a genetic code. This position is important because it determines which amino acid will be incorporated into a protein during translation.
A silent mutation does not affect protein structure because it does not change the amino acid sequence. However, it can still have an impact on protein function by altering the rate of protein synthesis or affecting RNA stability.
Silent mutations are not typically associated with disease because they do not result in a change in protein function. However, in some cases, they may contribute to the development of certain diseases, such as cancer, by altering gene expression.
Silent mutations can be detected through DNA sequencing, which involves determining the exact sequence of nucleotides in a DNA molecule. Bioinformatics tools can also be used to analyze DNA sequences and identify potential silent mutations.