DNA Changes From Point Mutations to UV Damage

Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence. They can happen by chance during DNA copying, or they can be caused by environmental factors such as radiation and chemicals. Scientists also describe mutations by how much DNA they affect, how they change a protein, and whether they happen in body cells or germline cells.

Point mutations, where a single nucleotide is changed, can produce a protein that is totally normal or completely nonfunctional, depending on the type. These include: silent, missense, nonsense, and frameshift mutations.

Silent mutations, as the name implies, have no affect on the amino acid sequence of a protein. For instance, if the co...