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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Mutations and Genetic Variation

Frameshift mutation

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

nounCommon term

In genetics & biotechnology, frameshift mutation means: A mutation that adds or removes a number of bases that is not a multiple of three, which shifts the way codons are read and usually produces a faulty, shortened protein.

In Turkish: çerçeve kayması mutasyonu

How it is used

Used in clinical genetics, cancer research and CRISPR work. Frameshift mutations usually cause loss of function, so CRISPR knockouts often rely on them. In variant names they appear with 'fs', as in p.Leu55fs. People say a variant 'causes a frameshift'.

Example sentences

  1. A single-base insertion caused a frameshift mutation and a premature stop codon.

  2. We screened the clones for frameshift mutations in both alleles.

Common collocations

  • cause a frameshift mutation
  • frameshift variant
  • in-frame or frameshift
  • premature stop codon
  • deletionA type of mutation in which part of the DNA sequence is lost, from a single base to a large section of a chromosome.
  • codonA sequence of three bases in DNA or mRNA that codes for one amino acid or signals the start or end of protein building.
  • point mutationA change of a single base in the DNA sequence, for example a G replaced by an A.
  • knockoutA cell or organism in which a specific gene has been made inactive on purpose, so that researchers can study what happens without it.

More terms: Mutations and Genetic Variation

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