ATAR Notes: Forum
HSC Stuff => HSC Science Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC Biology => Topic started by: luke.harris64 on October 16, 2021, 01:02:48 pm
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Hey, i'm just kinda confused in terms of the levels of organization within mutations. Could someone explain to me where somatic, germline, point, frameshift, and subsituton mutations go? What types of mutations fall under the category of somatic and germline respectively? or is there no category at all.
edit: sorry i didnt post in the question page :(
thanks!
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Hey there,
Somatic mutations occur in bodily cells ('soma' means body in Greek) and cannot be passed onto offspring whilst germline mutations occur in cells that divide to become gametes (sex cells). This means that in the process of reproduction, if a gamete with a germline mutation undergoes combines with another gamete, the embryo will inherit the mutation.
My understanding is that the mutations you've listed (block, point, substitution and frameshift) can occur to any cell, whether it's a somatic or sex cell. I found it helpful to categorize the types of mutations, like so:
1. Effects of mutations
2. How they occur
3. Can they be inherited?
4. Amount of mutation (e.g. do the mutations occur on large sections of chromosomes, are there fewer or extra chromosomes, etc.)
This is how I categorized the mutations you listed:
Amount of mutation:
Mutations occurring on chromosomes:
- block mutations (a large section of a chromosome is changed)
- point mutations (changes to a single base in a gene)
Mutations that affect the trinucleotide sequence of a codon (which can affect the amino acid coded for and therefore the protein, minus silent mutations):
- Substitution (silent, missense and nonsense)
- Frameshift (addition and deletion of bases in a DNA sequence)