Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is another type of nucleic acid and is important in protein production.
Proteins are synthesized in two steps; transcription and translation.
Transcription is the process of using DNA as a template (stencil) to synthesize RNA.
Translation is the process of using the information in RNA to direct protein synthesis by attaching amino acids to one another.
The process of translation can be broken down into three basic steps:
Cells use many ways to control gene expression in response to environmental conditions. Some methods help increase or decrease the amount of enzyme that is made by the cell. Other methods help change amino acid sequences to form a new version of the enzyme.
A cell process can be regulated by controlling how much of a specific enzyme is made. The cell regulates the amount of protein (enzymes are proteins) that is made by changing how much mRNA is available for translation into protein.
A deletion mutation removes one or more nucleotides and can potentially remove amino acids from the protein and change its function.
Frameshift Mutations: occur when insertions or deletions cause the ribosome to read the wrong sets of three nucleotides.
Mutations Caused by Viruses: Some viruses can insert their genetic code into the DNA of their host organism. When this happens, the presence of the new viral sequence may interfere with the cells’ ability to use genetic information in that immediate area of the insertion.
A chromosomal aberration is a major change in DNA that can be observed at the level of the chromosome.
There are four types of aberrations:
Mutations can be harmful to the individual who first gains the mutation, but changes in the structure of DNA may also have harmful effects on the next generation if they occur in the sex cells.