Mutation

How it is used

Common types include point mutations, deletions, insertions and frameshift mutations. Mutations occur or arise, or are caused by mutagens such as UV light and certain chemicals. The verb is mutate, and an organism that carries a mutation is a mutant.

Example sentences

1. A single point mutation in the hemoglobin gene causes sickle cell anemia.

2. We screened the plant lines for mutations that affect flowering time.

Common collocations

• point mutation
• genetic mutation
• harmful mutation
• carry a mutation
• mutation rate

Related terms

• geneA section of DNA that carries the instructions for making a particular protein or functional RNA. Genes are the basic units of heredity passed from parents to offspring.
• DNAShort for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.
• alleleOne of the different versions of the same gene. For example, a gene for flower color may have one allele for purple flowers and another for white.
• evolutionThe change in the inherited traits of populations over many generations. It explains how all living species descend from earlier forms of life.
• natural selectionThe process by which individuals with traits better suited to their environment survive and reproduce more, so those traits become more common over generations.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• mutation · Genetics & Biotechnology

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

• chromosome
• trait
• meiosis
• genotype
• phenotype
• dominant
• recessive
• inherit
• RNA
• nucleotide
• gene expression
• transcription