Genetic Mutations in Microbiology

Set of flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to genetic mutations, their types, effects, causes, and repair mechanisms.

Mutation

A change in the nucleotide base sequence of a genome.

Point Mutation

A mutation affecting a single base pair.

Frameshift Mutation

A mutation caused by insertions or deletions that displace the nucleotide triplet sequence.

Gross Mutations

Large mutations that can involve insertions, deletions, inversions, duplications, or transpositions.

Silent Mutation

A mutation that changes the genotype but not the phenotype.

Missense Mutation

A mutation that changes one amino acid in the protein sequence, affecting both genotype and phenotype.

Nonsense Mutation

A mutation that changes an amino acid to a STOP codon, resulting in an incomplete amino acid sequence.

Mutagens

Agents that cause genetic mutations, such as radiation or chemical substances.

Nucleotide Analogs

Chemical mutagens that disrupt DNA and RNA replication, often used in antiviral and anticancer drugs.

Frameshift Mutagens

Mutagens that cause insertions or deletions, resulting in large scale changes in protein sequences.

Proofreading

A DNA repair mechanism where the DNA polymerase checks and corrects errors during replication.

Mismatch Repair

A DNA repair system that recognizes and corrects incorrectly added nucleotides.

Nucleotide-Excision Repair

A mechanism that removes damaged nucleotides, such as pyrimidine dimers, and replaces them with the correct ones.

Photoreactivation

A light-activated repair process that breaks apart thymine dimers allowing them to correctly pair with adenines.