Assignment On The Mutation | DNA

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Added on 2020-02-17

Assignment On The Mutation | DNA

Added on 2020-02-17

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Mutations

Introduction The process of introduction of changes in the current gene structure or base unit of DNAis mutation. Unlike the comic world fantasy changes, mutation has certain serious scientificaspects which will be discussed in the presented essay. The effects and ethical considerations ofgene therapy and mutation process will be presented for giving deep understanding regarding inthe subject. Biochemical composition, structure and replication of DNADeoxyribonucleic Acid abbreviated as DNA is the basic unit that helps in decoding theinformative content like inherited traits, ancestral details, genes and their structure.Chromosomes form the nuclei of cells which are present with a thread like structure in higherorganisms like human beings (Charlesworth and Charlesworth, 2010). DNA is present inchromosomes with surroundings of proteins. The foundations of genetics is dependent on thefunctions and behaviour of DNA inside a cell. Entire process of evolution of human beings andother organisms has been decoded with help of studies and researches conducted on DNA. Allthe instructions regarding genes, development or functioning of an organism are carried by thisunit. The biochemical composition of DNA is made up of chains of two strands of the unit thatare continuous in nature and have nucleotides or monomer units. The components of thesemonomer units with either of the four bases i.e. cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A) orthymine (T) and deoxyribose or phosphate as the sugar. A covalent bond is shared between thesebases and the sugar acts like a backbone to the structure. Continuous and helical structure makethe double strands of DNA (Duarte and et. al., 2012). The process of DNA replication is based on the production of two similar molecules ofDNA from one original unit. Inheritance is based on this process. The original molecule has twostrands which are separated and used as the arrangement for production of other twocounterparts. The result is obtained with production of two replicated molecules from oneindividual unit (Guerrini and Falchi, 2011). In order to get precise characteristics and traitswhich accurately match with the original molecule, error checking mechanisms are formulated.Unlike the mutation process described in comic books the realistic results are far from fantasies.The extrachromosonal DNA present in an organism is completely altered on a permanent basis2

and this automatically produces a deflective behaviour in the organism. It is a result of the errorsthat occur in DNA replication process. Different types of mutations that can take placeAs depicted in the X-Men comics, mutations generate super power abilities in livingorganisms which can be varied in terms of characteristics. But practical biological sciences donot infer on such fantasies. Mutations are said to have contribution in both development anddestruction of the organism (Liang, Tang and Halliwell, 2010). The duplication process involvesrecombination of large number of DNA molecules and there are differences created in thegenetic structure. There are various kinds of mutations experienced by making alterations orchanges in the original DNA structure. The chromosome abnormality or mutation is a kind ofmutation that occurs due to flaws or deformities in the pair of chromosomes in an organism.These are further classified into deletion, duplication, inversion, insertion andtranslocation. The irregularities that are witnessed in the chromosome pairs or many a times onesingle chromosome is considered to be mutation. It can be due to formation of an extra ormissing or deformed part of the chromosomal DNA (Poduri, Evrony and Walsh, 2013). Thisindicates that there is a variation in traits and genes of the organism with this defect as comparedto normalised behaviour of an individual. This type of mutation takes place right at the time ofcell division when an organism is growing. On the other hand, there is another type of mutationthat is caused by exposure to radiations or chemicals which change the biological compositionand structure of the DNA. Originally used in agriculture for producing best quality produce, seeds where exposed toheavy radiations and chemicals for getting desired traits in the targeted seed. There have beenvarious researches conducted on living organisms mostly animals to produce a species that areengineered and biologically designed by introducing alterations in the basic structure of DNA(Tenaillon and et. al., 2012). Also known as mutation breeding, this process was initially used forgetting different breeds of plants and produce in agriculture. Several accidents related to nuclearradiations and chemical leaks have resulted in production of mutant birds, bugs and animals. Theconsequences of such alterations can be fatal and disturbing to the ecology. The mutation processhas different effects on protein synthesis process. Effect of mutations on protein synthesis3

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