Which mutation results from the loss of base pairs in the DNA sequence?

Which mutation results from the loss of base pairs in the DNA sequence?

• A. Point mutation
• B. Deletion mutation
• C. Insertion mutation
• D. Autosomal dominant disease

Answer: (B)

Removing base pairs from a DNA sequence is a deletion mutation. When bases are deleted, the length of the DNA shortens and the downstream codons are read in a different grouping, which can shift the reading frame and usually disrupts the resulting protein’s structure and function. Deletions can be as small as a single nucleotide or as large as many kilobases, leading to loss of essential amino acids or a truncated protein. In contrast, a point mutation changes one nucleotide to a different base without removing any bases, an insertion mutation adds extra bases into the sequence, and autosomal dominant disease describes a pattern of inheritance rather than a mutation type.

Removing base pairs from a DNA sequence is a deletion mutation. When bases are deleted, the length of the DNA shortens and the downstream codons are read in a different grouping, which can shift the reading frame and usually disrupts the resulting protein’s structure and function. Deletions can be as small as a single nucleotide or as large as many kilobases, leading to loss of essential amino acids or a truncated protein.

In contrast, a point mutation changes one nucleotide to a different base without removing any bases, an insertion mutation adds extra bases into the sequence, and autosomal dominant disease describes a pattern of inheritance rather than a mutation type.